New Year's With the Craigs
by Leonidas701
Summary: Elliot invites his girlfriend, and her family, to spend New Year's Eve with him. Really just an excuse for me to have Elliot, Fie, Fiona, Sara, Xeno, Leonidas, Neithardt, and Olaf all interact with each other. Sequel to "Tumbling Down the Mountainside". Elliot/Fie, Neithardt/Fiona, build up to Sara/Xeno. Takes place between CS2 and 3. Art by @maskyarts on twitter
1. Invitations

November 3rd, 1205

Like any good Bracer, Fie didn't deal with her personal affairs during business hours. She had developed a little ritual. After a hard day's work she would come back to whatever guild branch she was currently stationed at, take a warm shower, change into casual clothing, and the business notifications on her ARCUS would be shut off while the personal messages came out.

She would then spend the next fifteen minutes in bed responding to any messages she had received. Sometimes there would be some from Emma, sometimes from Vivi or Edel. These were the ones she would answer first, because she knew that they would escape her attention otherwise as she focused on the constant.

Every night, without fail, there'd be a notification on her personal ARCUS' home screen reading "**Unread message from Elliot"**. It wasn't his voice, nor his touch, nor his presence, but it was something, and it made her smile.

From that point on, barring any urgencies or emergencies, she would be texting with her boyfriend until either she or he went to sleep.

He'd tell her about his classmates and the new music he was learning and gigs he was doing, she'd tell him about fellow junior bracers she had met and the missions she went on and the people she helped. He'd tell her about carrying equipment and learning how to set up a stage as part of paying his dues, she'd tell him about being stuck with jobs involving sewer trips and making several laps across town as part of paying hers. What they were talking about mattered less than the fact they were talking.

Tonight was a little different. Instead of a statement waiting for her, there was a question.

"_Are you doing anything for New Year's?_"

"_Somehow I feel like I'm about to be._"

"_:) Do you want to stay over for New Year's? I asked dad and he said it was okay._"

"_Hmm, do I want to spend a holiday chasing down monsters or with my boyfriend? Tough call._

"_^^ Of course I do. I'm yours._"

"_I love you too :)_"

November 6th, 1205

Back in Zephyr, Fie's vacations had all been with Rutger and he had taken care of the arrangements, and in Thors everyone's break days happened at the same time as part of the school schedule. It was only a chance overhearing of the phrase "leave request" over breakfast that made her realize there might be a process to it all now that she was a bracer. She asked Sara about it while they were filing their reports at the end of the day.

"Oh, I was wondering when you were gonna do something with those vacation days burning a hole in your pocket. Leave forms are a bit tedious to fill out but as long as you ask far enough in advance you should be fine," explained Sara. "When do you want it?"

"Elliot invited me over for New Years," said Fie.

"Awww, that's so cute!" Sara gushed. "Your first real holiday together!"

Fie smiled faintly. "Thanks."

Sara made a hand gesture equivalent of 'Don't mention it'. "Oh, we can fill out the forms together when I walk you through it; that'll make it easier. You're not the only one with New Year's plans, you know."

"Oh?"

"You think I'll miss out on the longest happy hour of the year? I'm parking my butt in the finest seat in Celdic and not leaving until it falls out!"

"Ah." Fie tuned out Sara's enthusiastic spiel about all the alcohol she was going to consume when the day came. The lack of any people being mentioned did not escape her notice. The thought of her… Friend? No. Teacher? No. Mentor? Closer, but no. Whatever, the important thing was that the thought of Sara spending New Year's drinking alone in a hotel room, like she had passed so much time at Thors, gave Fie pause.

She normally didn't send personal messages before her work day was officially over, but for this she made an exception. The response came quickly, as she had come to expect from Elliot.

"Hey, Sara?" she asked, interrupting her extolling of the virtues of wheat ale.

"Sup?"

"You wanna come to the New Year's dinner with me?"

Sara leaned back in surprise. "Fie, you can't just invite someone to another person's party like that," she gently admonished.

"I asked Elliot, he said his dad and sister would be happy to have you. You know his sister, right?"

"Yeah, I've been friends with Fiona for years. But that type of thing is really meant more for family," Sara ruefully said.

Fie shrugged. "You're basically my family."

"Awww, Fie," Sara said with a smile as she swept her up in a big hug.

"'S that a yes?" Fie asked, muffled by Sara's torso.

Sara let out a short laugh and hugged her tighter.

November 7th, 1205

"_I'm glad Sara agreed to come. I worry about her sometimes._"

"_Me too. You know she's still gonna get drunk off her ass though, right?_"

"_Yeah. At least she won't be lonely?_"

"_Yep. And it'll be nice having someone else there to talk to while I get to know your family. Avoid that awkward period._"

"_Were you worried about that?_"

"_Eh. A little bit. Not much though. I like your dad._"

"_Oh he hasn't stopped talking about how excited he is to really meet you. I haven't seen him like this since Fiona's first professional gig. He was so excited he couldn't sleep the night before._"

"_How'd that go?_"

"_It was in the morning. He slept right through it._"

""

"_Yeah, Fiona didn't stop teasing him about it for a month._"

"_Just Fiona?_"

"_I only teased him about it for a couple of weeks. And then whenever I was mad at him._"

""

"_I've been thinking. Would you want more of your family there?_"

"_?_"

"_Like, maybe, your two brothers I met? Xeo and Leo?_"

"_Xeno and Leonidas?_"

"_Whoops. Yeah, them._"

"_I don't know. Let me think about it._"

There was a lot to think about. A big part of the reason Fie was here, covered by a thin blanket on a hard bed in a drafty Bracer guild branch, was to try and reach a point where she had to be acknowledged as an equal by them and the rest of Zephyr. On the one hand, she wanted to surprise them; to come up to them one day and show them all how much she had grown while they weren't looking, make them see how much they had missed. On the other… she wanted to spend New Years with her big brothers.

The conversation shifted, but she kept the question in the back of her mind, turning it over and over, for days.

November 12th, 1205

"_If you can find a way to invite them, go for it._" What were the odds of him managing to track them down anyways, she figured.

The question now answered, she cast it out of her mind, never expecting to think about it again.

December 3rd, 1205

There are three places every mercenary, from Bracers to jaegers, know to go to if they want information. Bartenders for local; hookers for political; musicians for cross country.

Musicians don't just travel, they talk. A lot. Especially to each other, and even more especially _about_ each other. After all, gossip keeps road trips interesting and the more interesting something is the faster it spreads.

Such it was that when Leonidas was asking a flutist in Lamarre about where he might be able to find an unlucky lowlife who had made the soon-to-be-fatal mistake of robbing the local crime boss's fourth-favorite mistress and skipped town, he also got told that a redheaded music student in Heimdallr was looking for him and his partner, and it had to do with his little sister.

Normally he would ignore that little tidbit; the actual jobs they had to do were more important than some vague rumors suggesting no urgency or danger. Then it kept coming up, and an oddity became a curiosity. They decided hey, maybe it was worth checking out. They were going to be passing through Heimdallr pretty soon on the way to another job anyways, what's the harm? The rumors usually came with mention of a little cafe off of alto street, apparently a nice enough place, the kind of place you could easily kill a half hour while waiting for a boat. They hadn't walked into a decent trap in a while anyways.

Thus, they found themselves sitting in silence across from Elliot Craig, a pair of coffees cooling in front of them while he nervously fiddled with his tie.

"You know," Xeno said, breaking the silence as he looked at Elliot with half lidded eyes, his head propped up on one hand. "I was sort of hoping it would be a trap."

"Indeed," agreed Leonidas, regarding Elliot with the same kind of dangerous curiosity. "With a trap one knows what to expect."

"Yep. And I have got no idea," said Xeno, pointing at Elliot with a slowly twirling finger. "What you could want."

"S- Sorry," Elliot stammered out, his every muscle tense under the gaze of the pair of extremely well-trained and ludicrously deadly men. Why had he thought this was a good idea again?

Xeno couldn't take it anymore. His palm went up to cover his eyes and his trained killer's smile broke into laughter. "Relax, kid," he said as he took a sip of his coffee. He wouldn't swear by it like some of the musicians had, but it was pretty good. "We just heard you were looking for us."

"And it had something to do with Fie," added Leonidas. His posture hadn't changed but his lips were twitching at a smirk from seeing how nervous Elliot was. Regardless, it was hard to be intimidating with a half-eaten muffin in your hand. Not that Leonidas couldn't absolutely pull it off if he wanted to, he just had no reason at the moment.

Elliot let out a breath it felt like he had been holding since he walked in. "Right. Uhm, so I invited her to spend New Years with me and my family and I didn't want her to feel lonely so I was hoping maybe you two would want to come so she didn't feel like an outsider."

"Pfft," Xeno went, nearly briefly doubling over the table as he held in his laughter. "Oh that's- wow. You're really something kid." His shoulders shook with the laughs he was keeping in.

"Who else will be there?" asked Leonidas.

"Oh, well, uhm, me, Sara- uhm, that's Sara Valestein, my dad, and my sister."

"And your sister's secret boyfriend?" Xeno asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You know about that?!"

"Everybody knows about that," said Leonidas.

"A hardass major and his boss's daughter?" added Xeno. "Lot of train-station paperbacks written about that, kid. Leo has most of them."

Elliot looked at the human tank in shock. The tank shrugged. "I get bored during travels."

"Don't let him fool you. Not all those pouches are full of ammo."

Elliot noticed how very rectangular one of the bulges on Leonidas' vest looked. The large man met his gaze and shrugged. "I am not ashamed."

"Nor should you be, pal," Xeno said with a pat on his friend's back before he turned his attention back to Elliot. "So, when's it all happening?"

"Well, the dinner is on New Year's Eve, usually at 9 so we can go do other stuff before the fireworks. Fie's coming on the 30th though so maybe you can come then and hang out or- or not! Whatever you want, really. It's okay." Having thoroughly explored his tie, Elliot's fingers took an interest in the tablecloth.

"We will attempt to be there," said Leonidas. "They will be staying at the former bracer hall, I assume?"

"S- Sara will, yeah."

"I will pretend I did not hear that."

Elliot blushed, quarter out of embarrassment, mostly out of fear.

Xeno chuckled. "We've gotta get going. Our boat comes in soon and I hate waiting at the back of a boarding line." He pulled out some money and left enough to pay for the bill. "On me. Oh, and kid?"

"Y- y- yeah?"

"That was a pretty clever way of getting ahold of us. Nice work."

"Th- thank you! Both of you! For coming and for the- yeah." He looked down at the tablecloth, his eyes wanting to join in the fingers' fun. He didn't look up again until they had left.

Elliot slumped back in his chair and exhaled, his hands wiping at his face. He did it! Hooray! He was so relieved about his success and survival, he didn't notice that feeling in the back of his head like he had forgotten about something.

December 7th, 1205

"Ah, thank you dear," said Olaf as his daughter gave him a cup of tea. She settled onto the other side of the couch, drinking from her own mug and looking through a book.

"What's that?" he asked, interested in the unfamiliar cover.

"This?" she said, slightly closing it so he could read the title. "It's a cookbook. I'm going to be making food for many more people than usual on new years, my normal recipes won't be enough."

"Oh, don't say that like you'll be doing it all on your own! You know Papa will be here to help!" Olaf said, puffing out his chest. Fiona giggled behind her palm.

"Yes, I know Papa. But I'll still be in charge, so I need to know what we'll be making." She frowned. "It's so frustrating though. All these recipes are for even numbers of people, and we're going to have either five or seven. What will I do with all the leftovers?"

"I could eat them!"

"You could," she admitted before reaching out with one finger to poke him in the stomach, making it jiggle slightly. "You're not."

Olaf pouted, but it quickly faded. "Are you excited? You haven't gotten to spend time with Sara in a few years now. You two were inseparable for a while."

Fiona smiled, tilting her head back. "I am. I've missed her. But you know, I'm worried about you."

"Me?"

She nodded. "I'll have Sara, Elliot will have Fie, who will you talk too?"

Olaf laughed before pounding his chest. "Oh don't worry about me. You don't give as many speeches as I have without getting used to talking to yourself!"

Fiona shrugged. "What are your officers doing for the celebration?"

"All the usual, visiting family and friends. In Gaul's case I think they'll be trying to make one from how much they've talked about their wife!" he said with a hearty laugh.

Fiona let out a short chuckle of her own. "Even Neithardt? What will he be doing?"

Olaf frowned. "I don't know. I don't think he's doing much of anything."

"Maybe you could invite him to the dinner?" Fiona suggested. "Doesn't he lives nearby?"

"Hmm, so he does," Olaf said, thoughtfully.

"It would solve both of our issues. You'd have someone to talk to and I wouldn't have to negotiate with this book."

Olaf nodded. "You're right. You're a genius, Fiona! I'll invite him first thing when I return to the fortress!"

Fiona smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Papa." She finished her tea and put the cup in the sink. "Sweet dreams," she said as she kissed him on the head.

"Sweet dreams, Dear," he returned.

Fiona went up to her room, feeling proud of herself. If Elliot could bring his lover to the holidays, than by Aidios so would she!

* * *

A/N: This story will hopefully update once a day from now until January 1st. Please drop a review if you liked it, and thank you for reading.


	2. Arrivals

December 30th, 1205

3:43 pm

"Hello- Oh!" Fiona said as she opened the door and saw who stood upon her stoop. A hospitable smile settled upon her face. "Fie!"

Fie nodded.

"It's good to see you again. Please, come in." She opened the door wider and motioned her into her home.

"Ditto. Thank you," said Fie as she stepped inside the warm house, loosening her scarf as the door shut behind her. "Sara will be here in a little bit, she wanted to unpack first."

Fiona noticed how the young woman's eyes darted around the room. "Elliot's still at school," she said.

"Oh."

"He's going to be let out soon. You can wait for him, if you'd like."

Fie shook her head. "Thanks, but I wouldn't wanna bug you."

Fiona waved her hand dismissively. "You wouldn't. Besides, I could use some help getting tonight's dinner ready. Wouldn't want to tire myself out before everything I need to do tomorrow. Could you lend me a hand?"

Fie nodded. "What do you need done?"

"Nothing fancy, just dicing and grating some vegetables to throw in a quick soup. Which would you rather do?"

"I'm pretty good with a knife."

"Great," Fiona said as she headed to the kitchen. "Let me just get the things for you."

Fie nodded even though Fiona couldn't see her, crouching as she was in front of the cabinets under the kitchen countertop.

"So Fie," Fiona said as she started putting equipment and small bags of vegetables on the granite counter above her head. "How did you and my little brother start dating?"

"He asked me out for lunch one day during class."

Fiona tsked. "If I know Elliot, that can't have been the _start_. What happened before that?"

Fie knew what she considered the start of things; the late night meal during their first night at Thors. It hadn't meant much at the time but in retrospect it felt like it meant everything. But Fie didn't feel like sharing that memory; she'd rather it stayed a moment between her and Elliot. "I was having trouble sleeping one night and heard him playing. I asked if I could listen while he practiced."

"Aww," Fiona cooed as she straightened up. "I'd love to hear more but we should get started on dinner." She handed Fie a peeler. "Could you handle the potatoes? I'm using those last so they're going in the back of the fridge. The red bowl should be big enough."

Fie nodded as she took the utensil. "How big do you need them?"

"Just a cubic rege should be fine." Fiona went over to the kitchen table and started peeling some carrots. Fie stood in front of the sink and did the same to a potato. She had only shaved off a few ribbons when she was interrupted.

"Oh, please don't peel into the sink," said Fiona. "The starch clogs the garbage disposal. Just put the peels into the bag the potatoes came from."

"My bad," said Fie as she scooped up the peels and transplanted them from stainless steel to paper. The bag was just a bit too tall for Fie to comfortably peel into with it sitting atop the counter, making her work at just below eye level and keep her arms at an uncomfortable angle to hold the vegetable over its opening.

"Elliot told me you're a bracer?"

"Yeah," Fie replied. "Junior bracer for now."

"That sounds really dangerous."

Fie tried to shrug, but her shoulders were already raised to their maximum height due to the awkward peeling position. "It's nothing I can't handle."

Fiona sighed. "That's how it always is. Until you run into something you can't handle and pay the price for it."

Fie made another failed attempt at a shrug. There wasn't really anything she could say in retort; it was just the unfortunate reality of the job. The unfamiliar position was starting to make her shoulders ache.

She sped up and finished the last potato, putting the waste bag to the side and setting the tubers on a cutting board to being dicing them. She didn't get through more than half of a single potato before being interrupted again.

"Could you please keep the cubes underwater?" asked Fiona as she grated the carrots. "It keeps them from going brown before they go in the soup."

Fie paused her dicing to put water in the red bowl, then continued. The potatoes kept sticking to her knife as she cut, making it hard to develop a smooth rhythm. Fiona's questions didn't help.

"Do you think you'll stick with it as a career? It's a lot of danger. And a lot of travel. Can't be an easy life."

"It's not for everyone," said Fie as she tried to focus on her work.

"It's not very healthy for personal affairs either, at least from what Sara told me-"

**Knock Knock**

"Ah, that must be her." Fiona started to put the grater and carrot down but Fie was faster.

"I'll get it," she said, already halfway out the kitchen.

"Hey, Fiona, is Fie here- Oh. Yes you are," said Sara as the door opened.

"Sure am," replied Fie, rolling her shoulders to try and get the stiffness out. Sara frowned and opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by a voice from the kitchen.

"Sara? I'm in here," called Fiona.

"Elliot in there too?" Sara asked as she entered.

"No, just us two. Fie was helping me get things ready for dinner and telling me about how hard it is being a Bracer."

"Oh was she?" Sara said, looking at Fie with a raised eyebrow.

"And about how her and Elliot got together. Have you heard that story? It's really cute."

"Sure haven't." Sara glanced between her friend and Fie before letting out a small sigh. "Fie, I'll help out with the rest of this. You go and get Elliot, I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do."

Fie felt that with how much they had been talking, there was very little to cover but she took the out she was given and left.

Sara took up her spot at the dicing. The pair prepared the food in silence, working quickly and efficiently until all the ingredients were ready and put away.

"Would you like a drink?" Fiona asked before she closed the fridge.

"Always."

"I meant juice."

Sara let out an over-dramatic sigh as she pulled a pair of cups out of a cabinet. "It'll have to do."

Fiona tittered at her friend's antics before filling up both cups with grape juice and putting the bottle away.

"So," Sara said as she lifted the cup to her lips. "What did I actually walk in on?"

"I was just trying to get to know her," Fiona said between sips.

"Mmm." Sara wiped her lips with the back of her hand and set her empty cup on the table. "Pull the other one."

"She's so young and already a Bracer, one of the most dangerous jobs around. I wanted to see how she was able to handle it all."

"Mm-hmm. Keep going."

Fiona sighed and hung her head. "I'm worried about how it'll effect Elliot. Not just being with someone who's always so far away but also constantly in danger."

"Hasn't he shown by now he can handle that?" Sara asked. "With your dad and all."

Fiona shook her head. "It's not the same. Not at all. With dad… I know I'm gonna have to say goodbye to him someday. Hopefully not for another fifty, sixty years, but still. That's not all of it either. I like it when dad's around and I miss him when he's gone but I don't _need_ him."

Sara nodded. "I know what you mean." Her gaze went from her friend's face to the bottom of her empty glass. If only it was full.

"You're right; you do. But…" Fiona sighed again. "You don't. You've never been the one left at home, always with that fear in the back of your head of checking the mail one morning and finding an envelope marked with the imperial seal. Not that I'd even get that," she muttered.

Sara scooted her chair around the table to sit next to her, putting an arm around Fiona. "They're tough. And smart."

"But how lucky are they? And for how long? Mine spends his days mostly behind a desk, Fie is out in the field. That's another thing; how long will Elliot have to handle it? The fear, the loneliness."

Fiona sighed and slumped against her friend. "I love Gerhard. With all my soul. But if I didn't know that his service had a hard time limit, I don't know if I'd be able to do it. Bracer's don't have that, right? No path to retirement or a safe desk job or someone to tell them they have to stop."

"There's the Bracer retirement fund that works as a pension, but no," said Sara. "We decide when we quit. Some of us never do."

Fiona slumped harder.

"But you don't have to worry about that with Fie. She's got such a spark inside of her. Everywhere we go, she's learning about the local plants or picking up games or finding the best places to sleep and relax. It's just a job for her; not her life. When the time comes, she'll see it for what it is and make the right choice. She could stop tomorrow and be fine. There's… honestly a lot I could learn from her."

Fiona straightened up, looking at her friend with interest. "What do you mean?" Sara's comforting hold on her had slackened and she took it as a sign to offer her some comfort of her own, giving her a stable place to hold on to.

"I taught at Thors for a year. I was good at it, all the kids said so, my boss said so, even your boyfriend had to admit I did my job well. But I was never Instructor Valestein. I tried so hard for so long to think of myself that way and it always felt like a costume. After I resigned, I walked into a bracer hall and I felt right for the first time in over a year.

"Even being here; as your friend, as Fie's family, two titles I value more than anything, all I can think about is going back to work. When my time comes, I don't know if I'll be able to stop. I don't even know how. I _am_ a Bracer. If I'm not, then what am I? A drunk?" Sara scoffed. "I don't have any hobbies that aren't slowly killing me."

"Sara, no one has their future planned out," said Fiona, rubbing Sara's back. "It's okay to not know what you want to do."

"It is. But let me tell you, the time between the shutdown and me working at Thors? Was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life. I can't imagine going back to that willingly."

A silence fell over the room, Fiona trying to give as much comfort as she could while Sara stared at the bottom of her glass, slowly turning it.

"But anyways!" Sara suddenly loudly said. "That's a worry for thirty years in the future; and not one you have to worry about Fie going through."

"Right," Fiona said, trying to do her part to raise the mood. "And you know when it does happen, I'll support you however I can, right?"

Sara chuckled. "Yeah, I know. But in happier topics, what do you think of my hair?" Sara tilted her head back and forth to let Fiona see as much of it as possible.

"I like it! Why'd you start wearing it down?"

"Well, Fie let a stray cat into our room one night..."

The tension slowly leaked out of the kitchen as the old friends caught up properly, one glancing out the window for her little brother; the other for her little sister.

4:02 pm

Today had easily been the least productive of all of Elliot's time at the Heimdallr Music Academy. Luckily, no one else seemed to be trying that hard either. Everyone, including the teachers, just wanted to get home and begin their New Year's vacation.

The bell rang and Elliot's ARCUS was out of his pocket before his papers were in their folders. No message from Fie since the one she had sent that morning about getting on the train. His excitement was undiminished. If she wasn't here yet, that just meant he had time to get home and prepare for her arrival. He was so caught up in thinking about what he could do, bathe of course, maybe make some snacks, get the grand rose bush ready to show her how well he had taken care of it, that he nearly missed the flash of white hair out the corner of his eye.

White hair, green scarf, and a face he had spent the last year dreaming about. "Fie!" he called out as he rushed over to her.

It was rare that Elliot saw a look of surprise cross Fie's face, but he was so happy he didn't even dwell on it, embracing her tightly. He leaned down and kissed her as passionately as was acceptable to do in public. Surprised or not, Fie was happy to reciprocate.

If anything, the smile on Elliot's lips was even bigger when they pulled apart. "I've missed you," he said, straightening back up.

"Same here." Fie leaned up to try and kiss him again, but couldn't quite reach. "You're taller," she said with a pout.

Elliot chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, a little." He started to lean down to close the distance, but Fie put a finger to his lips.

"Wait." Fie thought for a moment and then put her hands on his shoulders. Putting most of her weight onto him, almost like she was trying to do a pullup, she carefully stood on his feet to get the slight extra height she needed to be able to reach his lips without him bending down.

The little self-satisfied smile on her lips as she pulled back made Elliot's heart flutter in his chest. "I love you so much," he said. In return he got a quick peck before Fie stepped off of his shoes and slipped her hand into his like it had never left.

"I didn't recognize you," said Fie as they walked to the bus stop. "Your hair's gotten longer, along with the rest of you."

"What do you think? I usually have it in a ponytail but I was so excited this morning that I kinda forgot," Elliot sheepishly admitted as he self-consciously ran a hand through his hair. A gentle blush dusted his cheeks.

"I like it," Fie said as she brought her hand up to join his in playing with his locks. "It suits you. What do you think of mine?" she asked as she took his hand and moved it from his hair to hers.

"It's really soft," he said as he ran his fingers through it from top to bottom.

"Sara got me some really nice conditioner once it reached my shoulders."

"I think I remember you mentioning that, yeah."

"Speaking of things I mentioned," Fie said as she smiled a playful, faintly mischievous smile. "Think it'll serve its purpose?"

Elliot's blush went from nearly completely faded to brighter than before. "Is that really why you grew it out?"

"No," Fie admitted. "I just wanted to know how I'd look. It's a nice bonus though."

"It is," he agreed. Despite his blush, Elliot couldn't help himself. He wound a lock of her hair around his finger and gave it a gentle tug, making Fie smile. "Oh, where's your luggage?"

"I put it in the old guild hall when I got here. Thought it might be awkward to bring it to your place if you weren't there, so I checked first. Ended up helping Fiona get things ready for dinner."

"That was nice of you."

Fie shrugged. "Sara took over for me before I was finished. She and Fiona are probably still hanging out at your place," she hinted as the bus pulled up in front of them.

"Oh. Wanna go to the hall and get your luggage?" Elliot asked as they boarded.

"No, but it'll be a nice bonus."

5:54 pm

Fie and Elliot had been dressed and ready to leave the Bracer building for almost fifteen minutes, but neither wanted to follow through on the idea. It had been so long since they'd gotten to be in their own little world together.

The decision was taken out of their hands by a knock on the door. "That's probably Sara," said Fie, eyes closed as she basked in the last straining rays of the evening sun streaming onto the couch from the window. Since she was laying down and Elliot was sitting, he decided he would be the one to answer the door.

Rather than fuschia and a fond reunion, Elliot found blonde and black and the sudden realization of what he had forgotten 27 days ago. "Fie," he called behind him. "Your brothers are here."

Fie's eyes shot open. She went to the door, almost not believing him. But her eyes supported his story. Brunet brother and blond brother, each carrying a beaten up duffel bag that had been through hell alongside their owners.

"Hello Fie," said Leonidas, warmth in his voice. "It is good to see you well."

"We just got off the train," explained Xeno. "Figured we'd stop by and say hello before we checked in."

"Hi," said Fie.

Elliot was no highly trained jaeger, but he could feel something in the air that made him feel like he was intruding on them. He mumbled something about getting Fie's bag and tried to head back into the house, but a soft tug stopped him. Fie had subtly taken his sleeve between her thumb and forefinger as he passed by her. When he stopped moving, she quickly squeezed his hand.

"You found them," she said to him, her voice artificially level.

Elliot gave her an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sort of." _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry._

"More like he got us to find him," said Xeno.

"He is quite clever," added Leonidas.

"Yeah," said Fie. "I know." The surprise was slowly starting to wear off. "I'm glad you're both still alive."

"It is nothing short of a minor miracle," said Leonidas. "We heard you had become a bracer. Are you enjoying it?"

"It's fine."

"Grapevine says you're leaving all the other juniors in the dust," Xeno said with a proud smile.

Fie shrugged. "Sara and Toval are good teachers. And the sooner I become a senior bracer the sooner I can find answers."

"The boss will be very proud of you," Leonidas said. "As are we."

A brief smile crossed Fie lips, the first since their appearance. "Thanks."

"Well, we should get going and check into our hotel before the traffic picks up again," said Xeno.

Leonidas nodded. "Indeed. But first, I believe the woman who keeps peeking around the corner would like to speak with us." He turned and looked at the person in question. Elliot followed his gaze and frowned with confusion.

"Sis?" he called.

Fiona emerged from the corner with an entirely unapologetic smile and Sara in tow. "Hello," she brightly said as she walked up to them. "I'm sorry, I saw you from the house and wanted to introduce myself but not interrupt the reunion. You're Fie's older brothers right? I'm Fiona." She held out a hand to them.

"Leonidas," said Leonidas, shaking her hand. "A pleasure."

Xeno did the same. "Xeno. Judging by that hair, you must be our gracious hostess."

"Thank you for the invitation."

"Oh, I'm happy to have you," Fiona said with a smile. "It's good to meet the rest of Fie's family."

Xeno's eyebrow quirked up. His eyes landed on Sara. "Ah," he said with a self-satisfied smile as he figured it out. "The Purple Lightning. It'll be interesting talking to you without trying to kill each other."

Sara's eyes narrowed slightly. "We'll see about that. Business or no, you did attack my students. Twice."

"Yep, we sure did."

Fiona unsubtly side-stepped to put herself between Xeno and Sara. "Sara and I were actually thinking of going out for drinks tonight to catch up. We'd love to have you along."

Sara gave her friend a frown that showed it was the first she'd heard of the event or the desire.

Xeno let out a short laugh. "So that's where the little guy gets it from."

"We'd be honored," said Leonidas.

"Great," Fiona said with a smile. "Does 8pm at Lost Eden work for you? Oh, that's in the Leica District, near the racecourse."

"We met a client there once, right?" Xeno asked Leonidas. "A couple years ago."

Leonidas nodded.

"It's a nice bar," Xeno said. "Sounds great. We'll be there."

"Unfortunately, we really must be going though," said Leonidas.

"Oh, of course," Fiona said. "Sorry for delaying you."

"Eh, it's all good," Xeno said, turning back to Fie. "Here's the hotel we're staying at if you need anything." He handed her a business card. "Room 235. See you tomorrow?"

Fie nodded. "Yeah."

"C'mon, let's not miss the bus," Xeno said to Leonidas.

Leonidas nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting you," he said to Fiona.

"Likewise. See you soon."

The two Jaegers left and Fiona turned to the teens. "Dinner's ready."

"Dinner's been ready, she means," said Sara.

Elliot blushed and nervously chuckled. "Sorry."

"I'm not," said Fie.

Sara rolled her eyes but couldn't keep down her smile. "Get your suitcase and let's go eat."

7:37 pm

What do you say to your secret girlfriend's brother's girlfriend who is also your former student? Neithardt prided himself on his quick thinking in the face of the unexpected, one of his numerous skills that had garnered him a decent level of acclaim in the armed forces. The honed talent went into overdrive when he was greeted at the door of the Craig household by a shock of white hair in clothing that could be perhaps called unsuited to the temperature.

"Good evening, Claussell." Nailed it.

"Sup," said Fie. "Whose are those?" she asked, referring to the pair of colorfully wrapped boxes he held.

"The general's."

She raised an eyebrow. "You got your boss two New Year's presents?"

"They are from the general to his children. He requested I pick them up for him since he will not be coming home until late. May I come in?"

"Sure." Fie left the doorway and returned to the couch she was laying on.

Neithardt entered and put the presents down on the table. He stood next to it and looked around the ground floor. The faint sounds of ceramic on steel and scrubbing were coming from the kitchen. He started heading towards it when Fie spoke up.

"Elliot's in the kitchen. If you're looking for Fiona, she's getting ready upstairs."

"Thank you, Claussell," he said. She nodded and closed her eyes.

Neithardt wondered if he should remain standing or take a seat. He hadn't been invited to sit and so propriety would dictate he stood, but Claussell was laying down and the vast gulf in formality made him wonder if perhaps it was an implicit invitation. Should he ask if he could sit? But she was a guest like he was; a guest asking another guest if they could make themselves comfortable would be awkward. Perhaps that was why she didn't extend the invitation to sit in the first place, it was not hers to extend.

"I've never seen you in civilian clothes before," Fie said, saving Neithardt from his musings.

"It is improper to wear a uniform while off-duty."

"Thank you for answering the door, Fie," said Fiona as she came downstairs. She saw Neithardt and gave him a smile. "Hello, Neithardt."

"Good evening, Fiona," he said, his expression softening.

"Oh, please, have a seat," she said with a gesture towards an armchair. He accepted her offer and made himself comfortable.

"You look-" Radiant. Beautiful. I love you. "Nice."

"Thank you," she politely said. "Sara and I were going to go out for drinks with Fie's older brothers soon, would you care to join us?"

"I would."

Fie stood up from the couch and stretched out. "Ima go help Elliot in the kitchen," she said as she left the room. They heard the kitchen door open.

Fiona was in Neithardt's lap and on his lips as soon as it clicked closed. There was no time for words. Everything, every sense of his that she was setting ablaze, had to take in as much as possible while it had the chance.

It felt like it was over as soon as it started, the end signaled by a knock.

"That'll be Sara," Fiona said as she pulled back, nowhere near as breathless as she would have liked to be. Even here, in the comfort of her own home, she still had to be careful. Nothing that would take too long to recover from. She got out of his lap and tried to head for the door, only to be stopped by his hand grasping hers.

"I love you," he softly said as he stood up.

"I love you too," she replied, gently squeezing his hand. They walked to the front door together, extending the moment as long as possible, even if it was just a half-second more.

She released his hand as she opened the door.

Back to reality.

Back to pretending.

Drinks sounded pretty good right now.

* * *

A/N: Should I make a note at the start of each chapter saying what interactions will be in the chapter and labeling them so people can find them? What do y'all think?


	3. Drinking

December 30th, 1205

8:02 pm

Lost Eden was, predictably, packed. Old friends catching up, young people enjoying their vacation from school, winners and losers from the first day of New Year's horse races drinking their winnings or sorrows away. So many patrons it had to be a fire hazard. Contributing to the crowd were two Jaegers, one Bracer, a major, and a music teacher.

The waitress walked up to their table carrying their first round of drinks. "I have a barley stout," she said.

"Right here." Sara lifted her finger.

"A raspberry malt."

"Thanks," said Fiona.

"Soda."

"That'd be mine," Xeno said as he took the bottle.

"Double rum and cola with lime."

"Thank you," said Leonidas.

"Then the wheat ale must be yours," said the waitress as she put the final drink in front of Neithardt. He nodded as she straightened up and flashed the table a service smile. "Let me know if I can get you anything else."

"Could I get another beer?" Sara asked, holding out an empty glass. "Actually, better make it a few more."

The waitress nodded. "Of course." She took it and walked back into the crowd.

Fiona frowned at her friend.

Sara tsked and tilted her head. "C'mon, don't give me that; you know I can handle it," she said. "And I've earned it. I spent the last two years looking after a fluctuating number of babies, let me live a little."

"If you collapse," said Neithardt as he sipped his drink. "I will not carry you."

Sara scoffed. "Like I would let you. Remember what happened last time?"

Neithardt looked away while Fiona lightly giggled.

"That sounds like a story," said Xeno. "Feel like sharing?"

"Not particularly," said Neithardt. Sara, evidently, disagreed.

"Major Honor and Dignity over here saw me wobbling a little and decided, in his whiskey-fueled wisdom, that it was just too dangerous for lil ol' me to walk back. Tried to pick me up and fell flat on his ass."

"Really now?" Xeno leaned onto his palm and mischievously grinned.

"That was a long time ago," Fiona said, trying to help Neithardt save face.

Sara scoffed. She looked like she had a retort but her attention was diverted by the waitress returning with two pitchers full of dark, heady stout.

"I see the bartender remembers you," said Neithardt.

"Of course he does," Sara proudly said as she poured herself a pint. "Who could ever forget me?"

"I'm sure his children thank you for funding their education."

"Sorry, not everyone starts seeing double after half a shot."

Neithardt glared at her. He finished the rest of his beer and poured himself another from the second pitcher.

"Aww, did someone's pride get stung?" Sara taunted.

"So," Fiona said to Xeno and Leonidas, trying to cut off the brewing conflict. "When did you two meet Fie?"

"Fie joined Zephyr just over eleven years ago," said Leonidas.

"Yeah," said Xeno. "I was the newbie so I got stuck babysitting whenever the boss was busy. This guy," he thumbed at Leonidas, "kept hovering around to make sure I didn't screw her up too badly."

"Well you did a great job, both of you," Fiona said with a smile. "Fie is a wonderful young lady."

Sara nearly snorted into her beer. "Hey, don't give them all the credit. I've been taking care of her for the last two years."

"A fact for which we are deeply grateful," said Leonidas. "On behalf of all of Zephyr, thank you."

"Pfft," Sara waved him off. "Anyways, we're up to 'wonderful young lady' from 'potential Elliot heartbreaker'?" she teasingly asked Fiona.

Fiona blushed. "Yes, well," she said as she carefully avoided looking at Xeno and Leonidas.

Xeno leaned back and laughed. "So it's a family thing, huh?" he said.

"We had much the same reaction in our first encounter with your brother," said Leonidas. "He swiftly convinced us otherwise, just as Fie did you."

"Yeah. Plus, killing him wouldn't be worth the angry Fie."

Fiona giggled despite herself. "But you'd be fine with the angry General Craig?"

"Eh, we could take him."

"What about the angry Fiona Craig?"

"Now, that one I'm less sure about." Xeno flashed a smile.

"Where is your dad anyways?" asked Sara. "I'm surprised I haven't seen him yet."

"You know Papa, he won't leave until everyone else can," said Fiona. Xeno quirked up an eyebrow but said nothing.

"The general is renowned for the love he engenders from his men," said Leonidas. "It will be an honor to meet him. As it is to meet you, Major Neithardt. "

Neithardt warily looked at Leonidas while he poured himself another pint. "Thank you," he said. "You will understand if I can not say the same."

"Understand, yes."

Sara tsked as she shook out the last drops of a pitcher into her glass. "Never thought I'd agree with you on something, Neithardt. I don't know how Fie can still want to be around you two after you attacked her twice."

"We had accepted a contract and it was our duty to fulfill it, regardless of personal connections," said Leonidas. "Fie understood that, just as you do being a Jaeger yourself."

"No, I'm a Bracer. I _was_ a Jaeger."

"Nevertheless, I am sure you would not be drinking with us if you truly did not understand."

Sara glowered at him as she finished off the last of her beer and reached for Neithardt's pitcher only to find it just as empty. She gave the major a quick side-eye before speaking. "You're just lucky you didn't hurt her. Well, more than you already did."

Leonidas hung his head and heavily sighed. "It was a difficult decision, but the right one."

"Having Fie around would have just made things harder," Xeno added.

Sara raised her hand to cut him off. "Look," she said. "I wasn't there for the build-up. I don't know what happened or why you did it and frankly, I don't care. Because I was there in the aftermath, listening to a little girl hold back tears while she told me that her family had all left her. I can't say if you did the right thing or not but I can say, with certainty, that you are assholes. And I need more alcohol."

The waitress came over. Leonidas and Fiona got refills, Sara got a fifth of vodka, and Xeno got fries. Sara's first shot was halfway to her lips when she noticed Neithardt pouring himself one.

"You're really determined to keep up with me, huh?" she said with a half-lidded smirk before downing her shot. "Maybe you should leave this to the masters."

Neithardt hmphed and drank his first as well, albeit slightly slower than she had.

"See?" she said as she pointed at him with her shot glass. "No response. Too afraid of what will come out of his mouth."

"A fear you clearly don't share, Sara," Neithardt said with a glare.

"Wow, my first name? You must be even more messed up than I thought," Sara said with a chuckle. "Fiona, you really need to work on his competitiveness. You know, he made every boy in my class swim until they almost drowned because he heard they had gotten beaten by some of the girls? Fie and a girl on the actual swim team for that matter."

"Oh really?" Fiona said, looking over at Neithardt.

"...They needed the extra training," he muttered.

"What was it you said?" Sara said after another shot. "'For the sake of masculinity the world over'?"

"Oh _really_," Fiona said with an impressively dangerous smile.

"..." Neithardt took a second shot. Even through the alcohol he could read Fiona's expression loud and clear.

"See? Clammed up. What'd I tell you." Satisfied she had won that exchange, Sara's attention turned to Xeno's fries. She reached for one, only to find the plate sliding away as her fingers inched closer. "Jerk," she said with a petulant pout.

Xeno smirked. "Weren't you taught that it's rude to take someone's things without asking?"

Sara rolled her eyes so hard she made herself dizzy. Or maybe that was the alcohol. "May I please h- Nope. Nope, can't do it. Looks like you're all the potato I'm getting tonight," she said to the rapidly emptying vodka bottle.

Leonidas bent forward and squinted slightly. "According to the label, this was made from wheat," he said.

Sara threw her hands up. "Well then I guess I'm getting no potato! Aidios, this is Livli all over again," she muttered.

"There were potatoes in the soup we had for dinner," Fiona helpfully reminded her.

"...Oh yeah."

"What happened in Livli?" Fiona asked.

"I did a job there when I was still in the Northern Jaegers," Sara explained. "There was a food shortage, well, more so than usual. Things got… complicated. Rather not talk about it."

When Leonidas stared off into space, it made one fear for the moon. "What is it you do, Fiona?" he asked, bringing his attention to her. "I'm curious what sort of complications can arise in your business."

"Nothing as dramatic as you all, I'm afraid," she said. "I'm just a music teacher. Sometimes I fill in for bands I know when they have a member who's sick or something." Fiona brightened. "So I guess complications give me my business."

"I see. That is not entirely dissimilar to our line of work."

Xeno chuckled. "Yeah. We make complicated situations simpler."

"Lethally," Sara muttered.

"We do more than just killings," Leonidas said.

Xeno nodded. "I got hired to re-shingle a guy's roof once. I have no idea why he came to me or why he thought I could do it, but there you go."

"Wow," said Fiona. "Could you?"

"Nope! But two point one billion mira is a great motivator to learn."

Sara's jaw fell open and even Neithardt paused mid-shot to look Xeno. "Two point on- there had to be something more going on!" Sara protested.

Xeno shrugged. "Probably."

"Didn't you look into it?!"

"Nope. I did the job, I got the money, and I never looked back."

Sara looked at him in confounded befuddlement. "Two point one billion," she mouthed.

Fiona looked at him, hiding her emotions only slightly better. "What did you do with it?"

"I put it into my retirement fund. Well, most of it." Xeno smiled in a way that made the people at the table curious what he had spent the rest on while also being certain they didn't want to know. He laughed at the look on their faces. "I love telling that story."

"...What about you, Leonidas?" Fiona asked. "Any favorite stories?"

"Not particularly," he said. "I once got hired to take a manuscript from Crossbell to Arteria and then gifted an advance copy of Gambler Jack II as a bonus. That was a pleasant surprise."

"I never got bonuses when I was a Jaeger," Sara said.

"Definitely don't come as often as I'd like," said Xeno. "What about you, Major? You ever get a little extra?"

"No," Neithardt said, focusing on not slurring.

"Lame. Not even for the holidays?"

Neithardt glared at him, the effect diminished slightly by his head wobbling. "Protecting the people of Ero- Erebonya is its own reward."

Xeno gave a condescending look over his spectacles before going back to his fries.

"Of course you don't get it, Jaeger," said Neithardt.

"My students make me things sometimes," Fiona said, cutting off an argument before it could start. "One of them made me this." She rolled up her sleeve and showed the table an inch-thick bracelet made of green and orange wool.

"Aww, my students never gave me anything," said Sara, looking at it with playful envy. "Well, I'm pretty sure Elliot's gonna give me a niece one day."

Fiona kept looking at her bracelet but her mind seemed elsewhere. "You really think they'll stay together?"

Sara hummed with glee. "It would take something pre~tty horrible to break them up," she said. "It's amazing, I haven't seen a look like the one Elliot has around her since you met-" She cut herself off and looked across the table at the pair of Jaegers like she had momentarily forgotten they were there. "Someone who isn't here right now. Definitely."

"Nice save," said Xeno.

Sara let out a sharp "Shh!" like a librarian aggressively shushing someone. "You know nothing."

Neithardt attempted to bring another shot to his lips, his fifth of the night, but paused when he realized he had spilled some down his front. He put the glass back down. His chair screeched across the floor as he pushed it back from the table to rise.

"It would be pru… pru… I'm done," he said.

"Aww, does Neithardt need to go night night?" Sara taunted him before downing another vodka shot.

He clenched the table to hold himself steady enough to properly glare at her, reaching out to finish that fifth shot. Out the corner of his blurry eyes, he could see a gentle frown cross the face of his beloved. Priorities won out and he pulled his hand back.

"Good night, Fiona," he said.

"Are you sure you'll be fine getting back to your hotel on your own?" she asked, already rising. "Here, I'll go with you."

"I will be fine," he said. "See?" He held his hand up and slowly touched his thumb to each fingertip in turn. "Someone will have to carry Sara home when the inevitable happens."

"And whas that supposed to mean?" Sara protested, her words slurring into each other.

Fiona pursed her lips together and looked between the two of them with concern.

Leonidas spoke up. "By chance, is your hotel in Garnier district?"

"What's it to you?" replied Neithardt.

"Yes, it is," said Fiona at the same time.

"So is mine," said Leonidas. "My vision is starting to blur. Could I, as a citizen of Erebonia, request your aid in a safe return?"

Fiona watched Neithardt's values battle before her eyes. She sighed with relief as duty won out over personal dislike.

"Very well," Neithardt said, looking like he had just bit into a lemon. "Let's go." He turned on his heel and started making his way to the front door, occasionally stumbling but never falling.

"Thank you, Leonidas," Fiona said with a smile.

He nodded as he stood. "It was nice speaking with you, Purple Lightning-"

Sara cut him off. "That's Ms. Valestein to you," she slurred.

"My apologies. It was nice speaking with you, Ms. Valestein. And to you as well, Fiona. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night."

"Likewise," Fiona said. "I'll see you at the dinner."

"Don't let him barf on you, buddy," said Xeno. "I don't need that smell in our suite."

Leonidas cracked a smile before turning and heading after the swaying Major, carefully positioning himself to be able to catch the man should he fall.

"Yay, more not-potato for me," Sara said in a singsong voice before she drank directly from the vodka bottle.

"Sara," Fiona said, almost pleadingly.

"What? I'm not sharing it with anyone anymore," she explained. "It's safe."

Fiona sighed and shook her head.

Sara took another swig. As she lowered the bottle, she noticed Fiona's glass was empty. "Looks like you're running dry. I'll call the waitress over," she said, lifting her hand.

"That's okay," said Fiona. "I've had enough for the night."

"Aw, come on. My treat."

"Really, Sara, it's fine," Fiona said, her voice firm. "I'm good."

Sara's arm went down with a huff. Her gaze found Xeno, idly rubbing off the damp label on his long finished bottle of soda. "What about you? You haven't had a drop all night."

Xeno lifted the glass soda bottle by the neck and gave it a little twirl, showing that it was empty.

Sara scoffed. "You know what I mean. What, trying to impress the future in-laws?"

"I don't drink around people I don't fully trust," he said. "No offense, Fiona."

"None taken."

"I don't trust you far as I could throw you," Sara said. "And I'm still drinking." To prove her point she took another long draught from her rapidly emptying bottle.

Fiona gently reprimanded her. "Sara, stop it." She looked to Xeno. "I am surprised you stayed, though."

Xeno shrugged. "This seemed like more fun than walking Leonidas and a drunk major home. Why? You want me to leave?"

"Oh no, not at all," she said, holding up her hands. "I was just surprised. I appreciate you staying."

Xeno's response was cut off by a hiccup from Sara.

"You know, Fiona," she said. "You are- You are so nice. To everyone. Even this guy. He's done terrible things."

Fiona shrugged. "Last time I was nice to someone who did terrible things I got a best friend out of it."

"I had stopped. He's still going. He was working with the people who kidnapped you last year, you know?"

"It's true," said Xeno. "Once I leave Heimdallr, I'm going off to do all kinds of horrible deeds."

Fiona nodded. "I know. Elliot warned me when he asked if he could invite you and Leonidas. But you don't grow up in the capital as the daughter of Craig the Red and not learn that the world is complicated. I don't know what you've done or will do or why or what rules or boundaries you have, but I trust my brother and he trusts Fie and she trusts you and that's good enough for me."

"I don' trust you," said Sara.

"So I've heard," said Xeno, leaning on his palm and giving her a little smile.

Sara carried on like he hadn't spoken. "You wouldn't even give a poor hungry woman a fry."

"All you have to do is ask," Xeno pointed out.

"Pshhh. Details, details. I am hungry and fryless."

"I could order you fries," Fiona offered.

"I don't want that many," said Sara.

Fiona giggled and shook her head. "Xeno, may I please have some of your fries?"

"Go ahead," he said. Fiona took a small handful of the food and put it on a clean napkin. She slid it over to Sara.

"Thanks," muttered Sara. She began to slowly eat, washing down each bite with more alcohol. "I'm still hungry though."

"Well if you want more, you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Not that hungry." She looked up at Xeno and narrowed her eyes best she could in her current state. "Something tells me I don't wanna be in your debt even a little."

Xeno nodded. "Smart something. I wouldn't give you more anyways. The rest of these are mine." He picked up the three remaining fries and ate them.

"Just for that, you're not getting any of my vodka," Sara said, sticking her tongue out at him as she protectively held the bottle to her chest.

"You were really gonna offer me some?" he asked in a playful way that made it clear he knew the answer was no.

"If you asked nicely, maybe. But definitely not now."

"You've already drank most of it anyways."

"Yeah, and no way you're getting the last shot." Sara tried to put the bottle down on the table but didn't lay the base flat. It nearly tipped over before Xeno caught it, setting it upright.

"Maybe you've had too much," he said, smirking. His hand remained around the neck.

"Maybe you need to respe- respect your elders," slurred Sara. "You… fucking whippersnapper."

Xeno tittered, bemused. "How old are you?"

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady her age?"

"Not when she's trying to pull rank."

"Pfft. 'm twenty-six." She put her hand on the bottle's body and tries to pull it back but couldn't quite get the grip strength.

"Hah, twenty-seven, gotcha beat. And as the oldest person at this table," said Xeno as he pulled the bottle out of her reach. "I am making an executive decision and cutting you off."

"I agree, I think you've had enough," said Fiona.

"I'm fine!" Sara protested. "I can take… way more!"

Xeno raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Prove it. Stand up."

"...No."

"And why not?"

"Don' wanna."

"Yeah, I think you're done for the night."

Sara pouted and turned to her best friend. "Fionaaa," she whined.

"Tell you what," said Fiona. "Close your eyes for twenty seconds and then I'll ask him to give you more. I'll even drink some with you."

"Promise?"

Fiona nodded.

"Mmkay." Sara closed her eyes.

Fiona started counting. "One. Two. Three. Fo-"

"I think she's out," said Xeno.

**Thud.**

"Yep, definitely out."

Fiona sighed and moved her hand out from under Sara's head, where she had put it to deaden the impact with the table. "I'm sorry, she doesn't normally get this bad," she said as she shook the sting out.

"Eh. I kinda don't blame her. I love Fie but I can't imagine being the only one taking care of her for two years."

Fiona sighed again. "I think it's more than that," she muttered.

"Huh?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I hate to impose on you, but could I ask you for help in getting her back to my house?"

"Hmmm." Xeno thought for a bit, looking between Fiona and the passed-out Sara. "Eh, sure. Why not." He reached into one of his jacket pockets and pulled out a wallet, putting down enough to cover their bill and tip.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," protested Fiona.

"It's fine. I'm sure you'd have done the same if I hadn't done it first."

"...Maybe."

"Uh-huh," he said as he carefully slid her out of the chair and onto his back. Her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck as he stood up, leaning against him as he carried her piggy-back. "And I don't want to be in your debt anymore than this one wanted to be in mine."

Fiona lead them through what remained of the crowd, parting a path to the front door and fresh air. "You're quite good at that," she said as they exited to the street. "Do you do this often?"

"What, wrangle drunk girls? Not since my days at the academy."

"You went to school?"

"You sound so surprised."

Fiona blushed. "I didn't-"

Xeno chuckled. "It's fine. You're kind of right, anyways. I realized pretty quickly it wasn't for me and quit halfway through the second year."

"Is that when you became a Jaeger?"

"A bit afterwards, but yeah."

"Why- Oh, we need to make a left here," Fiona said.

Xeno turned on his heel and followed her. "What about you," he asked. "How'd you end up in all this? Jaeger-come-Bracer best friend, and a secret military boyfriend."

Fiona smiled somewhat. "You've heard about that?"

"Hard not to, to be honest. Juicy gossip travels far and fast."

"So it does," Fiona mused. "I met Sara around seven years ago. She had just become a bracer and was assigned to the hall near my house. I brought her a pie and a tray of pasta as housewarming presents and we've been friends ever since"

"Sounds about right. And?"

Fiona's eyes darted around the empty streets. "Is anyone else around that can hear us?"

"Nope."

"Can I trust you?"

"With the secret or that I'm telling the truth?" he asked.

"Both."

"We are definitely not gonna be overheard. And as for the secret… Well, let's put it this way; nobody who would be willing to pay me enough to spill secrets would give a damn about this one."

Maybe it was the light buzz from her drinks. Maybe it was how matter-of-factly he gave the limits of how much she could trust him. Maybe it was just the thrill of finally being able to tell someone new. "I have been dating Major Neithardt for a little over four years now." Aidios, that felt so good to say out loud.

"We met when I was putting flyers out in the fortress for a concert I was part of in Celdic." She couldn't stop herself, it was like a dam burst.

"Really? They just let you advertise on a military base like that?"

"Not exactly. But if I happened to take the chance while I was nearby to visit my father and on the way out happened to stop by the rest area and the shop and just happened to leave some flyers laying around that I had forgotten about, no one was gonna put up much of a fuss."

"Shrewd."

Fiona smiled. "Thank you. Gerhard was drinking a coffee in the shop and he saw me leaving the flyers and told me I had forgotten something. I went over to get them and I told him about the show. I realized he was a little nervous, he told me later that he'd actually just been transferred not too long ago, so I suggested that maybe going would help him unwind. He took a flyer and I left."

"Did you take the rest of them with you?"

"Now that you mention it, I think I forgot them again. Silly me."

"Mmm. So, love at first sight?"

"Not quite. He came to the show and, at the end, thanked me for telling him about it. I gave him a PO box he could write too and I would tell him about other shows I was doing nearby. While that happened, we started talking more and more. I didn't find out until later that my father was actually the direct superior he complained about and not a couple rungs above him."

"Cute."

"Not entirely. I was actually dating someone else at the time, but I broke up with them before anything untoward happened."

Xeno laughed. "I'm starting to understand how you and her," he bounced just enough to make Sara grumble a little and tighten her arms around him. "Became such fast friends."

Fiona giggled. "I'll take that as a compliment." Her gaze swept over Sara. She was snoring between Xeno's shoulder blades. "She's really very nice when you get to know her."

"You mean she's like this with everyone when she meets them and not just me?" he said, bemused.

"Well, no. She usually likes people when she meets them, but, well…"

"I didn't exactly leave the best of first impressions."

"No, not exactly," said Fiona. "But I think she'll warm up to you."

"Really?"

"Really. Sara likes people who are direct, who can stand up to her challenging them and even win sometimes. And, even if she doesn't like you, she's a great person to have around."

"I can see that," Xeno said with a gesture at the dead weight on his shoulders.

"She's not normally… _this_ bad."

"But close?"

Fiona sighed. "Sometimes. But she does know when to not be. It-," Fiona sighed again. "It is a problem though."

"A lot of Jaegers have her problem."

"Not you though. Or Leonidas."

"Yeah, the boss kept everyone from getting too crazy. Especially when Fie came around."

"That's good."

They walked the next few blocks in silence.

"Do you like it?" Fiona asked. "Being a Jaeger."

Xeno tilted his head slightly in lieu of a shrug that might have lead to a vomiting passenger. "Not really. It's a decent job though. I don't dislike it."

"Why did you become one?"

"It seemed like the best way to make the most money as fast as possible."

"Even though its so dangerous?"

"All the high-paying jobs that don't involve working your way up some corporate ladder are dangerous. You know how high the fatality rate is for crab fishermen up north?"

"So that's really the only reason? Just the money? Why?" Fiona had a thought. "Does it have to do with that retirement fund you mentioned?"

"Bingo," said Xeno. "Make enough money to never have to work again and retire young enough to enjoy all the free time. I'm not that far off either, maybe four or five more years."

"Wow."

Another silence fell upon them.

"What are you going to do?"

"Huh?"

"With all the free time. What are you rushing towards retirement for?"

"Oh. No, I don't have any plans," said Xeno. "The whole point is to be able to not have to worry about that type of thing."

"What? What will you do all day?"

"Whatever I want."

9:58 pm

"Wait, don't knock; I have a key," said Fiona as she dug through her pocket.

"I wasn't going to knock," said Xeno.

"Well don't break my lock either. A-ha!" She pulled out a ring with a little rubber dog hanging off of it along with a few keys, one of which was used to open the door. "Okay," she whispered. She walked over to the couch and stripped it of all but one of its throw pillows. "Put her down over here. You know the recovery position?"

"Yeah," said Xeno, only to be shushed by Fiona.

"I don't know if my dad is back yet and I don't want to wake him up," she explained. "Please whisper."

Xeno gave her a thumbs up.

"Thank you. I'm going to go wake up Elliot, could you put her in the position while I do?"

Another thumbs up.

"Great!" Fiona gave him a nod and softly went upstairs. Xeno carefully slid Sara off of his back and put her on her left side before arranging her as he had thousands of comrades and clients who were drunk or worse.

His hostess was back by his side shortly. "Elliot will be down in a bit."

"I didn't even hear you knock."

"I didn't need to, there's a grate in the hall that connects to his room."

"Handy."

In contrast to Fiona's light, careful gait, the house was soon echoing with the sounds of heavy footsteps.

Extremely heavy footsteps.

Unusually heavy footsteps.

Elliot was not that heavy.

Xeno quickly got mentally prepared to meet Craig the Red, only to turn around and see a very cranky seventeen year old rubbing his eyes, carrying his equally cranky girlfriend on his back and a green staff in his hand. Not included: shirt, or pants. Thankfully included: boxers.

Elliot let out a big yawn. "Fiona you owe me big t- Eep!" Elliot yelped and hid around the corner from which he'd emerged. "You didn't tell me there was a guest!"

"I'm sorry," she said with an apologetic grimace. "I didn't think you'd come down like this."

"You know this is how I sleep!" he hissed at her, his face bright red.

"I told you Sara was here," she said, trying to offer a token defense.

"I lived with Sara for nearly a year, she's different!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Hey, Fie," Xeno said with a light wave.

"Sup," Fie mumbled out sleepily.

"If you'd like," he said, turning his gaze to Elliot, "I could turn around and cover my eyes."

"Thank you," Elliot squeaked. Xeno chuckled and did just that.

Elliot cleared his throat and stepped into the room, standing just in front of Sara. He lifted his staff as high as he could with Fie's arms on his shoulders and began casting an art.

"Recuria!" he said, unleashing the energy directly at Sara. Fiona felt her light buzz leave her.

Sara shifted, mmming and rrring as she moved into a more comfortable position before opening her eyes. She saw the assembled crowd before her and sheepishly grinned. "Uhh, hey guys."

Fie shot her a sleepy glare and pout. "You interrupted cuddle time."

Sara laughed awkwardly. "Sorry."

"Mmm."

"Fiona, did you carry me back?" Sara asked, trying to change the focus as she sat up.

"Not this time."

"Yo," Xeno said, waving behind himself.

Sara glared at his back and opened her mouth to say something, but it was cut off by a pained groan. "Oh, my head."

"Recuria kept it from getting any worse and stopped you from being unconscious. It didn't fix any damage already done."

"I know how it works Elliot, I'm the one who taught- Oooh." Sara groaned and flopped onto the couch.

"On that note, I should probably leave," said Xeno.

"Thank you for all your help," said Fiona.

"No problem. See you tomorrow Fie."

"Yeah," Fie lifted her hand for a little wave that Xeno didn't see. "See ya."

Xeno left and Sara got back to a sitting position. She tried to stand but Fiona firmly pressed on her shoulder to keep her down. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To bed?"

"Absolutely not, you're staying here."

Sara groaned for a reason that had nothing to do with her throbbing head. "Fiona, I don't wanna bug you. It's just a few doors down."

"That'll make it easy for you to go back in the morning. But you're sleeping here tonight."

"It's not that bad, really."

"Sara."

"...Fine." Sara grumbled and laid back down.

"Good. I'll go get you a blanket."

"Can I go back to bed now?" Elliot asked.

"Oh, yes. Of course. Thank you for your help."

"Thanks," Sara mumbled.

"You're welcome," Elliot said as he went back up the stairs. His bedroom door closed much louder than necessary.

"Here," Fiona said as she put a comforter over Sara. "Good?"

Sara nodded. "Hey, Fiona?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

Fiona sighed and gave her a smile. "What are friends for?"


	4. Interlude 1

December 31st, 1205

12:04 am

Age was starting to show its effects on General Olaf Craig, but even old and tired he was certain he would remember his house being haunted. So that clearly wasn't the reason for the ghost standing at the top of his staircase.

While his confusion kept him in place just before the foot of the stairs, the ghost apparently had no such compulsions. It smoothly glided down the steps, getting closer and closer. And closer. And closer.

Then it bumped into him, right into his chest. "Sorry," came the muffled voice of the ghost. "It's hard to see under here."

It was the voice of a young lady. Now that his eyes were better adjusted to the dark, the ghostly sheet looked a lot like Elliot's blanket.

"Fie?" he guessed.

"Sup."

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?"

"I was hungry and Elliot told me there were some snacks in the kitchen."

"Ah, I see," Olaf said, nodding sagely even though Fie couldn't see it. "What happened to all the snacks he keeps in his closet that he thinks I don't know about?"

"We ate them. I ate them."

Olaf held down a laugh. "Really now? And why did you take his blanket?"

"'s warm."

"And you don't think Elliot is cold without it?"

Olaf guessed that that movement of the blanket was probably a shrug. "He has a heater," said Fie.

Olaf couldn't keep up the act any longer. His smile broke through and he let out the loudest laugh he dared without risking waking anyone up. "Oh," he said, still chuckling as he put his hand on where he assumed Fie's shoulder was. "Oh, that's the best welcome home I could have asked for. My son is a lucky man. Welcome. By all means, help yourself to the kitchen. Fiona keeps the best snacks in the cabinet above the refrigerator."

"Thanks."

"Would you like me to get them for you? They're very high up."

That seemed like a head shake. "I'll jump."

"I'm sure you will. Just please, don't leave my son cold for too long, would you?" he requested as the ghost moved past him.

A lump rose at the side of the blanket, then a smaller lump rose from that. Good enough for him. Olaf yawned and went to his bed, content that his children were happy.


	5. Siblings

December 31st, 1205

7:36 am

That was easily the best night's sleep Fie had gotten in months, and the first time in as long that she woke up with a smile on her face. Her eyes remained closed as she focused on the steady heartbeat that had lulled her into slumber last night. Wrapped in the arms of her lover, it reminded her exactly why she had been so afraid of their separation yet simultaneously why they had succeeded despite the distance.

His scent, his warmth, everything about him brought back so many memories but the memories weren't what made her smile. It was the way his hands knew exactly how to hold her, how all it took was the slightest motion from her and he would so perfectly adjust himself to increase her comfort. If she paid attention to herself, she could notice how she did the exact same thing. If his knee moved like _this_, she should move her leg like _that_, if he squirmed like _this_, she should adjust her weight like _that_, all without thinking.

They had both grown since Thors, she knew that from their daily conversations, but the implications of that fact hadn't truly hit home for Fie until she was looking for a boy around her height and been greeted by a young man who had to bend to kiss her. It had honestly scared her, realizing that her eyes had passed over Elliot multiple times while she was looking for him. The kisses they greeted each other with had helped but only a little. It wasn't until her hand so easily found his, just as automatically as it had when they'd done it every day, that she realized she had nothing to worry about. They had changed, yes, but what was between them hadn't.

Her eyes finally opened and she looked around the room. There were the framed daffodils, a reminder of her first awkward attempt at affection, right on his desk next to his violin case. Under the windowsill, bathed in the morning light, was the grand rose bush she had given him, transplanted into a new pot over the months to accommodate its growth. It had been the first thing he showed her when they got to his room. He was so proud of it, beaming at her while she looked it over, she couldn't help but chuckle.

She pushed herself up and looked down at him. Fie had to admit that doubt sometimes snuck into her heart, when she was at her lowest and needed someone to pick her up the way only a lover can or at her highest and needed to share it likewise. But all that doubt was eradicated in the radiance of Elliot's sleeping smile. It was more than just a work around of her neuroses; Fie was his.

Her stomach growling reminded her why she had woken up in the first place. She leaned down to kiss the area just behind his jaw, making his smile grow as she got out of bed.

She was the second person in the kitchen.

"Morning," groaned Sara. She was holding her head up with one hand while trying to eat cereal with the other, all while looking like she would welcome the embrace of death.

"G'morning," said Fie as she started to open cupboards, trying to be quiet as possible out of consideration for Sara.

"Bracer time is hard to shake, huh?"

"Sure is. Where did you get that cereal?"

"Oh, I'll get you some," Sara said as she pushed out from the table. The sound of her chair dragging across the floor made her wince.

"That's okay. You look like you have other things to worry about."

"I insist." Sara gave her a small smile, the biggest she could muster with how badly her head was throbbing. "It's the least I could do after interrupting cuddle time last night."

Fie waved her off. "It's fine. I was expecting something like that anyway."

"Really?" Sara asked, a strange note in her voice. She pulled her chair back in and busied herself with swirling her spoon around the bowl. "I guess it's pretty par for the course for me." Her appetite was suddenly gone.

"Did you have fun?" Fie asked as she found the cereal.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah," Sara said while Fie got the milk and made her breakfast.

Fie sat across the table and ate. "You feeling alright?" she asked as she neared the end of her cereal.

"You mean besides the obvious?" Sara said in a weak attempt at a joke. "Just had some trouble sleeping. I swear that couch has only gotten lumpier in the last two years and it already felt like a sack of bowling balls."

"You sure?"

Sara nodded. "I just need to get into a real bed and sleep off this hangover."

Fie stood up and put their dishes into the sink. "Let's go."

"Hmm?"

"Back to the hall."

"Oh. Don't worry about it, I can get there on my own. Trust me, I've stumbled between Fiona's couch and that bed more times than you could count." And more than Sara would care to.

Fie looked at her with concern. "...Ok."

Sara was too old to be having someone that young look at her like that. She averted her eyes from Fie's, trying to play it off with a grin. "Now, come on; you see me every day. Go back to Elliot."

A ghost of the smile Fie had when she walked into the kitchen reappeared on her face. "Later," she said as she went back upstairs.

"Yeah, later." Sara's expression dropped as soon as Fie was out of sight.

3:49 pm

Holidays in the capital city meant one thing: tourists, and lots of them. This left Elliot and Fie with precious few date options that weren't absolutely swarmed. Elliot may have lived in Heimdallr his entire life, but even he had been taken aback by just how many people there were. Having never previously tried to go out during such a time, he couldn't have anticipated this.

Luckily, he was not the son of a revered military strategist for he'd told his father that Fie was coming for New Years, the first– well, second, after being smothered by a hug and being told how proud his dad was– thing Olaf had done was warn him about how crowded things would get in the more obvious places to go.

He'd honestly thought his dad had been exaggerating. What a fool he was. Fortunately Elliot was not enough of a fool to just outright ignore fatherly advice, not anymore at least.

So here he was, across the city from Dreichels Plaza sitting on a bench in a park barely bigger than the block he lived on, stomach full of food from a place he had only found a few days ago and Fie's head in his lap.

She was telling him about a very troublesome dog she'd had to catch during a recent mission.

"I thought I had him cornered. Then he jumped over the railing into the river," she said.

"Oh no! Was he okay?" Elliot asked as he stroked her hair.

Fie nodded/nuzzled his thigh. "The water was warm. The current was fast though. I had to run along the river until it slowed down enough for me to wade in and finally grab him."

"Good job," he said with a smile.

"Thanks. He chewed up my scarf all the way back to his owner."

"That scarf's been through a lot. There are so many holes in it; Is it even still warm?" Elliot asked.

Fie shrugged and rolled onto her back to feel the sunshine on her face. "Your legs have gotten harder."

"Oh. Uhh… sorry?" Elliot said, blushing lightly.

"It's okay. It means you've gotten stronger. I have too. See?" Fie tensed her stomach, showing her abs. "Feel."

Elliot took the invite, running his fingers around the outlines of her muscles. Her skin was soft but everything below it was like iron. "Wow. That's amazing."

"I'm sure you're starting to get some of your own." Fie slid her hand under Elliot's shirt, putting her palm directly onto him.

He recoiled from the contact. "Ah, ah, cold hand, cold hand."

"And you have a warm stomach," Fie said as she turned onto her side to put both of her hands on his skin. The second freezing sensation was a bit less severe but still enough to make him suck air in through his teeth.

"Oh, so that's what this is?" he said, smiling down at her. "Using me for my warmth?"

"Always. I'm surprised it took you this long to figure it out," she said. Fie pulled his shirt up a bit more and put her face directly against his stomach. She sighed with contentment. "So warm."

Elliot giggled and stroked her spine. "You're going to wake up with neck pain again."

"Worth it." She planted a soft kiss right in the middle of his stomach. "I was right by the way, you are starting to get abs. I didn't know they taught phys ed at music school."

"They don't," Elliot admitted. "I just missed the exercises they had us do at Thors, so I started going to the gym." He laughed. "You should have been there when I told my dad about it over the phone. I've never heard him that happy! Neithardt had to stop him from scheduling an early leave day to go with me."

Elliot could feel Fie's smile against his skin. "I like your dad," she said as she put her head back in his lap.

"He likes you too, asks about you a lot."

"How nice of him," she said.

"I think Fiona likes you too. She was asking me a lot about what my plans were for our date."

Fie made a non-committal noise. Her eyes opened. Elliot playfully waved at her.

"Hi there," he said.

Fie's small smiles were always a treat, no matter how many he saw. "Hey." She sat up and stretched her arms out, popping her neck as she settled into sitting next to Elliot. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"What do you talk with her about?" Fie asked.

"Fiona? Uhm… I don't know. School. Music. Stuff, I guess. Why?" Elliot asked, confused.

"I think I want to go talk with Xeno and Leonidas while you're cooking. But," Fie said, her eyes downcast. "I don't know what to say to them. It's been a long time."

"Yeah. You've changed a lot since then."

Fie nodded. "You changed a lot at Thors."

"I did." He held her closer. "When I came back, I tried to keep on talking with Fiona like I had before I left and it just didn't work. I think my dad noticed."

"What did he do?"

"He took us to the beach. We had a little family barbecue and… I don't know. Fiona and I just started talking. Catching up."

"Hm."

"You are a different person now," said Elliot. "But you're still Fie. They still care about you. You just have to reintroduce yourself, I guess. Let them get to know who you are now."

Fie smiled. She turned her head and kissed the corner of his lips. "I'm yours."

"I love you too."

"I know," she said as she stood up. "C'mon, you're late."

"I am?" Elliot checked his ARCUS. His eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah," Fie said as he stood. "I'll walk you home." She took his hand, lacing her fingers through his.

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"No problem. Hey, Elliot?"

"Yeah?"

"Is bowling fun?"

5:12 pm

"I think we need to add some challenge," said Xeno after his fourth strike in a row. "It's gonna be boring if we all wind up tying, again." He took a seat on the hard green bench and resumed eating his nachos.

"I have to agree," said Leonidas, standing up to take his turn. "Perhaps using our other hands?"

"Nah, I've been doing that. What do you think, Fie?" Xeno asked.

Fie looked up to the ceiling as she thought. "What if we take turns setting up shots? The first person gets one shot to try and make it as hard as possible for the next to knock out the rest of the pins, and then that person does the same for the next in line."

"Impressive," said Leonidas, handing Xeno the ball.

"Sounds like fun," said Xeno as he got back up to make Leonidas stare down a seven-ten split. "Nice thinking, Fie."

Fie frowned. It hadn't been _that_ good of an idea. Ever since they had gotten to the bowling alley, something had been feeling off and it was starting to bug her. She had told her brothers stories about the missions she went on as a Bracer and even some of the things she had done at Thors. Their responses were just like when she used to tell them about her jobs as Jaeger. But now? Now there were no warm feelings when Xeno taunted her about getting her blade stuck in a rock while he smiled and ruffled her hair, nor when Leonidas told her she did a good job fighting the golem in a desert before gently pointing out how she could have done better. Honestly, it kind of annoyed her.

Leonidas just managed to get both pins and set Fie up with three pins standing, all spaced far apart from each other. At least they weren't going easy on her. She grabbed her ball and pushed her thoughts to the side while she stared the challenge down.

"Gotta say, this is one of the nicer bowling alleys I've been in," said Xeno. "Probably one of the perks of being right next to the royal palace. Need to make sure the diplomats and delegates have all the newest and nicest toys to play with while they visit. Probably just behind that one in Roer, eh Leonidas? The one with all the screens that played videos for strikes and shit and the Reinford Group logo plastered all over everything."

Leonidas nodded. "Indeed. Though I must say, I have never before been in one that took payment at the end."

"No, you pay first here too," said Fie. "I paid them while you got the balls and Xeno ordered the food." Fie bowled her ball and managed to curve it sharply enough to knock two pins over, sending the second ricocheting into the third.

"Nice shot," said Leonidas as he pulled out his wallet. "How much was it?" he asked her.

"Ten thousand two hundred mira to book the lane for two hours and rent the shoes for all of us."

Xeno whistled. "Pricey."

Fie shrugged. "Holiday, plus probably higher regular prices than most places to skin those diplomats and delegates who want to throw money around and impress people." The machine reloaded the pins and put them up again. Fie used a tight curve to set up a complicated shot for Xeno to handle, then turned around to head back to the bench.

"Here you go," said Leonidas, holding money out for her as she took her seat.

She tilted her head at him, confused.

"To cover the bowling costs," he explained.

"Why would you pay for that?" she asked. "It was my idea."

Leonidas blinked at her. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but apparently couldn't figure out what it was. The money was put back into the wallet.

"Hey," Xeno said as he tapped Leonidas on the shoulder. "Buddy. It's your turn."

"Hmm? Ah." Leonidas stood up and went to the line.

"You should have taken the money," said Xeno as he sat down.

Fie shrugged. "Aren't you the one who always told me to stay out of owing anyone anything?"

"Eh. It's different when it's your big brother."

"Would you have taken it?" Fie asked.

"No, probably not."

"Why not? He's your brother too."

"Ah," Xeno said, holding up a finger. "But he's not my big brother. Want my advice?"

"Not really."

"He'll probably sti-" Xeno cut himself off with a loud laugh when he realized what Fie had said.

Fie frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," he said, still smiling.

"Liar."

"You're right, I am," Xeno said, holding his hands up. "It's your turn by the way." He laced his fingers behind his head and leaned back.

Fie stood up from Xeno's left and Leonidas took a seat on his right. The elder brother sighed deeply.

"Yep," Xeno agreed. "Two years, huh?"

"Such a long time at that age," said Leonidas. "I had forgotten."

Xeno nodded. "Hey Fie," he said after she knocked down the pins Leonidas had left for her. "If you win, I'll tell you what I was laughing at."

Fie closed her eyes. "You're on." She threw the ball in a way that left the remaining pins in a pattern requiring three ricochets to hit. "And what do you get if you win?"

"I stop having to hear about your boring job," he said in a teasing tone as he got up.

Fie felt a smile spreading across her face. "You wouldn't have to hear about the job at all if you'd told me what was going on."

"Ooh, tempting."

"Nope, too late. Have I told you about when I had to find the same cat three times in one day?"

"Oh no, Leonidas, help," Xeno plead as he rolled the bowling ball behind his back, knocking everything down.

"I quite enjoy hearing about her work," said Leonidas. He looked at Fie through half-lidded eyes. "It's so… quaint."

Fie tsked. "Not all of us can lead a thrilling life of sixteen hour rooftop stakeouts."

"Now now," said Leonidas. "Sometimes they're sixteen hour rooftop ambushes."

Xeno chimed in, "And they're still more fun than chasing a dog through a river."

Fie rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Just bowl."

In the end, it was another three-way tie.

5:20 pm

"-And then I took her to that place I told you about, Rosanna's, and she really liked it," Elliot recounted to Fiona. The siblings were wrapping bacon around tiny hot dogs, the first of many appetizers Fiona was planning on making for that night's dinner. "Then we walked around while we ate and met this old couple who told us where we could find a place to sit when we were done. It was where they had ended up after their very first date over fifty years ago, can you believe that?"

"Well, I can see how time got away from you," Fiona said.

Elliot blushed. "Sorry."

Fiona tittered. "I'm sure you'll make up for it."

"I will!" Elliot resolutely said.

"I know you will," she said with a teasing smile. "In fact, I just said so."

Elliot sheepishly grinned and focused harder on his wrapping duties, adding to the rows of bacon-wrapped sausages on the wire racks on the table.

"Sara said something interesting last night," said Fiona, breaking the silence.

"Mm?"

"She thinks you'll give her a niece one day."

Elliot nearly choked on nothing. "She did- uh, does?"

Fiona nodded. "Have you and Fie spoken about that?"

"I mean, yeah," he mumbled. "A little bit."

"You two are pretty serious, huh?"

Elliot smiled. "We are. I love her."

"That's great." Fiona smiled but something about it seemed off to Elliot. "Do you think you're going to stay together?"

"I do."

"Do you think or do you hope?"

"I- Yes?" Elliot looked at her with a confused expression. "Both?"

"What about her? Have you two talked about it?"

"A little."

"What has she said?"

Elliot shook his head. "I don't think I should tell you what she said. They were private conversations; I can't betray her trust like that."

Fiona nodded. "I understand. That's good; good job."

"Thanks?" he said. Elliot looked at his sister with concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

"No, no, I'm fine," said Fiona. Elliot was skeptical. Clearly his feelings showed, because Fiona was quick to follow up. "I'm just worried about you."

"Worried?"

"It's just… you're both so young. Isn't it a little early to be thinking about setting your future in stone?"

Elliot sighed. "Yeah. We know. We talk about that a lot. I don't know what kind of a musician I'm going to be; what I'll do with my life. And Fie doesn't know what she'll do aft-" Elliot cleared his throat to forcefully cut himself off before he revealed anything private. "Well, she has some uncertainty too.

"But, even though I don't know where I'm going in life, I know I want her there. And luckily she wants me there too."

"I know how that feels," Fiona muttered, just loud enough to be heard. "But are you sure you want her there? Her specifically?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying, you're both so young," said Fiona. "You'll both grow up to be different people than you are right now; who knows if you'll still fit together."

Elliot sighed. "You're right. It's something I'm afraid of. But I can't imagine a version of Fie that I don't love with all my heart. So all I can do is be the best me that I can be and hope I keep being lucky."

"But are you sure she's worth it?"

"I'm sorry?" Elliot was certain he had misheard her.

"It's your first real relationship, granted I don't know if it's her's, but either way neither of you have really experienced what's out there," said Fiona. "How do you know she's worth the time and energy when you have nothing to compare it to?"

Elliot couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She makes me happy. She makes me feel like I could try to do anything without worrying about failure. No matter how bad- heck, no matter how _good_\- I feel, she makes me feel better."

"I'm not saying she doesn't!" said Fiona. "I'm just saying; what if there's someone else who can do it better."

"Since when do _you_ care about what ifs?" Elliot asked. "What's going on? Is something wrong? Please, tell me. This isn't like you."

Fiona looked away from him. "I'm just worried about you," she quietly said.

"Well… Thanks. I guess." She was lying. He knew she was lying. But what could possibly be making his big sister act like this? Elliot sighed. If she wouldn't tell him, he couldn't make her. They had other priorities anyways. "Let's just finish making this food," he mumbled.

"Good idea," said Fiona. "The oven's done preheating anyways." She picked up the racks and put them on top of the stove, loading them one by one into the oven. The only sounds were burning gas and metal tapping on metal.

"Hey, Fiona?" Elliot said as she closed to oven door.

"Yes?"

"I hope whatever it is gets better."

"...Thank you."

* * *

A/N: I also uploaded an interlude today, it's the chapter before this one if you missed it.


	6. Dinner

December 31st, 1205

8:44 pm

"How big a piece would you like, Neithardt?" asked Elliot as he placed the roast in the newly-empty middle of the table.

"Shouldn't the gen- your father go first?" asked Neithardt. Even at the general's insistence, it still felt strange to not refer to him by rank.

Fiona spoke up from the kitchen before Elliot could say anything. "If my father goes first, there won't be any left for the rest of us," she called out.

Olaf turned and pouted at her, as much of her as was visible through the doorway at least. "You can't blame an old man for being hungry, can you? Especially after I skipped dinner yesterday."

"I'm sure you more than made up for it with breakfast," came the response.

"He had breakfast with you?" Elliot asked as he carved. "He told me that he'd been waiting for me to wake up so we could have breakfast together." He side-eyed his father as he held a slice out for Neithardt.

Olaf crossed his arms and harrumphed. "Can you believe this?" he said, looking at Fie. "Prosecuting an old man for wanting to spend time with his children."

Neithardt shook his head and accepted Elliot's proffered meat allowing him to serve the next person in line.

"Just a rege for me," Fiona said as she returned to the dining room with a pair of bottles. "Who'd like some wine?" she asked as she started filling Sara's glass.

"None for me thanks," said Sara. "I don't feel like drinking tonight."

"Oh!" Fiona pulled the bottle back in surprise. Her expression turned into a beaming smile, making Sara frown.

"You don't have to look so surprised," she muttered under her breath as she turned her gaze to the meal before her.

Xeno lifted a finger. "I'll take it if she doesn't want it," he said. Fiona nodded and swapped his empty glass for Sara's full one.

"Why'd you come home so late anyways?" Elliot asked his father, having finally made his way around the table.

"Cleaning the proving grounds took longer than I thought," said Olaf.

"Don't you have custodians?" asked Xeno.

Olaf nodded. "We do, but I let them go to catch an early train."

Leonidas raised his brow. "You cleaned the entire base by yourself? Impressive."

"No, no," Olaf said as he shook his head. "They did most of it, I just finished up for them. All the other work was done and everyone else had already left, so I figured I might as well let their vacation start early as I could. They had more than earned it."

"How gracious," said Leonidas.

"Boss used to do the same," said Fie. "Always made sure he was the last one to leave whenever we went on vacation."

Neithardt scoffed lightly, a flash of annoyance in his eyes.

"Do you have something to say, Major?" asked Leonidas.

"Not at all," he said with a sip of his wine. "I was just surprised to hear the comparison. I wouldn't have expected such actions from a Jaeger."

Leonidas' eyes seemed to be narrowing into a glare, but instead chose to close. "And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said."

"Hmm." Leonidas opened his eyes. "Would you have done it?"

Neithardt bristled. "Of course I would!"

"He nearly did," Olaf chimed in. "I had to order him off the base when his work was finished so he could start his vacation on time."

Leonidas nodded. "So why not expect it of the boss? He's a soldier as much as you are."

Neithardt glared at Leonidas, only Fiona's discreet hand on his knee keeping his voice level. "With all due respect," he said, his tone making perfectly what he thought that amount was, "Soldiers are _nothing_ like you. We are a shield for the people; not a sword for the highest bidder."

"Is that so?" Leonidas raised an eyebrow. "So tell me, who were those men fighting alongside me in the Civil War? I'm surprised so many Jaegers got their hands on Erebonian military uniforms."

"Those men were doing their best with the information given to them," Neithardt said through gritted teeth. "The betrayal of certain nobles can not be blamed on those who trusted them."

"Absolutely. But," Leonidas said, "There comes a point where even the most trusting must know they are in the wrong. Celdic was not burned by Jaegers alone."

"The razing of Celdic was done by criminals, not soldiers," said Neithardt. "They became as such the moment they accepted the order."

"Morality does not change in an instant. Do you really think that every soldier in the entirety of Erebonia who would have accepted that order just happened to be in the Kreuzen Provincial Army?"

Neithardt gripped the edge of the table, resisting the urge to slam his fist down. "If you are accusing-"

"I am accusing no one," said Leonidas. "But you can not pretend that every member of the army in Erebonia is a beacon of honor, only in it to serve their countrymen. Even ignoring those in it for power; how many are just trying to feed their families, or see it as a career path like any other? How many see dying as just a job hazard as opposed to potentially saving the lives of others?"

"Regardless of why they do it; they have all made the choice to serve."

"Yes, they have. But you can not act like that tells you thing one about who they are as a person. Or do you expect all generals to do as Olaf did, staying behind to let their men relax more?"

"Of course not," said Neithardt.

"Exactly. You can't assume every soldier to be as honorable as he is, any more than you can assume a Jaeger is not. And my boss, is." Leonidas turned his attention back to his plate.

Neithardt glared at Leonidas, his fingers digging into the table cloth like he was trying to rip it."The general is ten times the ma-"

"My friend, I will thank you not to defend me on my behalf," said Olaf, wiping his lips with a napkin. "Please."

Neithardt's face reddened. He leaned back, mumbling an apology.

"It's not me you have to apologize to," Olaf said. His attention then turned to Leonidas. "I have heard of the type of man Rutger Claussell was. The comparison honors me. You are correct," his face turned rueful, "Despite on-going attempts to weed out those whom enlist for the wrong reasons, and to make it so people aren't driven to sign on by desperation, we still have more of both cases than I would like to admit. All I can do is take care of the men around me and try to keep them on the proper path."

"It's a credit to your leadership, that your men are so willing to defend you," said Leonidas.

Olaf smiled. "Thank you. Though, the zeal might be an issue," he said, looking at Neithardt.

Neithardt broke the eye contact, putting more food on his plate to hide his embarrassment. "I was out of line. I am… sorry, Leonidas."

"It is alright," said Leonidas. "I can not pretend your dislike of my occupation is unfounded."

"More wine?" asked Fiona.

"Please," said both of them, getting their glasses refilled.

9:22 pm

"Papa, no," said Fiona.

Olaf turned to his daughter with a pout. "Oh, come on. It's New Year's, what's so bad about an old man indulging in a single extra piece of pie."

"Dad, you've had four," Elliot chimed in.

Neithardt had never seen his commanding officer look so betrayed. Olaf slumped in his chair, defeated. "I can't wait to have grandchildren," he said. "Sweet little grandchildren who would never begrudge an old man his pie."

"Why wait?" muttered Elliot, in a tone low enough it could only be heard by Fiona. "If you retired you'd probably have grandchildren within a year."

Fiona's response was to gently smile while swiftly, but subtly, kicking him under the table.

"Fie, are you sure you wouldn't like any pie?" offered Olaf. "You've only had the bits you nibbled off of Elliot's."

Fie shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm good," she said. "I don't wanna be too full to dance."

"Ah, of course," said Olaf, leaning back in his chair with a smile. "I remember how Liana and I would dance during the festivities in the plaza. I can't imagine a better way to get excited for the new year."

"It's a lot of fun," Fiona said. "Will you be going this year, Papa?"

Olaf sighed and shook his head. "Sadly 'vacation' is a loose term in my occupation. I have to show my face at the palace. With it being the one year anniversary of the end of the civil war, my attendance has been highly 'encouraged'. That's one area in which I envy Jaegers; not having to deal with the drudgery of respectable politics."

Neithardt frowned. "I was not informed of this."

"You are young, Neithardt. You deserve to enjoy it while it lasts. I've told them not to expect you. Don't worry, I'll be back in time for the fireworks. A friend of mine is out of town and offered me the use of his backyard to watch them. It's on a hill; perfect view."

Neithardt sighed. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Fiona smile her smallest smile, the one that only appeared when she was trying to hide it.

"I think I've heard of this; in Dreichels Plaza, right?" Xeno asked. He turned to look at Leonidas. "Seems like a lot of fun. What do you think, feel like checking it out?"

Leonidas shook his head. "I would prefer to return to my room and rest before the countdown."

Sara's eyebrow rose. "_Really, _that's _where she got it from?"_ she thought.

Xeno shrugged. "Okay. I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"I was planning to attend as well," said Fiona. "If you'd like, I'd be happy to guide you. And you two as well." She gestured to Neithardt and Sara. "Should you care to attend, that is."

Neithardt was good at keeping a smile from his lips, but his eyes were a different matter. "Thank you, Fiona."

Sara smiled nostalgically. "I haven't been to that in years," she said. "I'm definitely going."

Fiona nodded to both of them and rose from the table. "Then I'd better get started clearing up. Elliot, could you help me put the food away?"

"Yeah, no problem," said Elliot.

* * *

The leftovers were quickly stored. Fiona celebrated by pouring herself a glass of sparkling cider and returning to the main group. They had moved from the dining room into the adjacent living room. Her friend, her father, her lover, and Leonidas had all settled on the couches, swapping stories of great deeds and exotic locales.

Leaning against the wall next to the fireplace and conspicuously not taking part, was Xeno.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Fiona.

"Feel free," said Xeno.

Fiona leaned against the wall next to him. "Something wrong?"

Xeno shrugged. "Nah. Just not really a fan of swapping stories. Lots of fun to tell but hearing them's kind of a snooze."

Fiona nodded. Neither of them had a follow-up. There was a clear view of part of the kitchen from where they were standing, just enough to see Elliot and Fie talking and smiling as they loaded the dishwasher together in their own little world. "I'm surprised you didn't say anything about her outfit," Fiona said. She giggled slightly. "I remember the first time I wore a miniskirt. I was fifteen and nearly gave my dad a heart attack."

Xeno chuckled. "See, if those stories," he said, gesturing at the people talking on the couches, "Were more like that one, I'd be way more interested."

Fiona giggled behind her fingertips and took another sip of cider.

Through the doorways they saw Fie sneak a kiss as Elliot straightened up from putting dishes in the machine. He smiled and grabbed a handful of her hair, twisting it around his fist in a practiced motion. A firm tug turned her smiling face skywards, making it easy for him to repay her in kind.

"You ever suddenly realize your sibling has a sex life?" Xeno asked, making Fiona choke on her cider.

Neithardt immediately rose to help her, only for Fiona to wave him back down. "Not in so many words," she said, coughing slightly.

"I always knew that it would happen, I guess I just kind of figured it would be when she was an adult. That all of the growing would happen at once," said Xeno.

Fiona nodded, regaining her composure. "Yeah, I know how you feel. You'd go to sleep and they'd be a kid and when you woke up they'd have a job and a mortgage."

Xeno hummed his agreement. "And she's not an adult, not at all."

"Yeah." Fiona leaned heavily against the wall. "Neither of them are."

"Mmm." Silence fell once more as they watched their siblings finish loading. "They're cute together," said Xeno.

Fiona sighed and hung her head slightly. "They are."

"And, now that they're done, we can head to that party," Xeno said as he peeled himself off the wall.

Fiona caught Neithardt's eye and smiled. "Can't wait."


	7. Festivities

December 31st, 1205

10:02 pm

Staying apart was simple. Fiona had been mobbed by friends from the moment they arrived at the Plaza, their smiles and shrieks pulling her into the crowd. Neithardt hung back, letting the music wash over him as he approached the revelers alone. It wasn't long before someone asked him to dance; it never was. He offered his arm in response and allowed the freckled woman to lead him onto the dance floor.

They danced with her back to his chest, as most pairs were doing for that song. It was fun, Neithardt would never say it wasn't. The smile on his face, though small, was genuine. He didn't say yes to the second dance. The young lady pouted but seemed to understand. After all, his focus hadn't exactly been on her.

Fiona was also having fun, dancing and cheering on the band with old friends and friends of friends. The music was upbeat, something you were meant to get completely lost in and she nearly did. But she couldn't stop herself from peering over her shoulder, looking through the crowd and seeing if he was enjoying it too.

He had a different partner every time she looked, leading them through steps she herself had taught him years ago. Always smiling, bowing to his partner at the end and thanking them for the dance before finding a new one.

Sometimes their eyes met, only to immediately break away. It was too dangerous to linger, they both knew that. There were always people watching, even in a celebration. One person might not notice every detail, but people talk and rumors spread. Books get written. Safer to look away as soon as possible. The risk wasn't worth it, no matter how painful it was to not take. It would have been safer still to not look at all.

The dancing slowly brought them closer, as quickly as they dared. Close enough for it to look like two friends bumping into each other and deciding to dance together.

It wasn't a slow song but it was slow enough to savor. The type of song where you were supposed to maintain eye contact as you danced. A song that let them pretend that this was their reality; that they could dance together without any fear of it being used against them.

But it was just one song. They parted with a curtsy and bow and their first forced smiles of the night.

How long would it have to be before they could safely dance again? Six songs? Five songs? Maybe four songs, if one of them was long.

What bad fortune they had; every song was long other than those they danced together.

Giving into a craving is dangerous. It became harder to let go with every time they touched. In the rhythms and the lights of the night; the consequences seemed so far away. Four songs became three. Three songs became two. Surely, no one would notice.

One of the girls Neithardt danced with asked him if the redhead was his girlfriend. He couldn't bring himself to say no. The look in her eyes told him to expect another book soon.

Then he was dancing with Fiona again and it was so, so hard to remember why he cared.

* * *

Being alone was really boring. Fiona had been pulled away the moment they got to the party and Fie and Elliot raced onto the dancefloor, so Sara was left without the two people closest to her. She didn't begrudge them for it, not in the least, but it did leave her with no one to talk to.

Normally this wasn't a problem; she could just get a drink and make friends with the other barflys. But not tonight. Sara knew what kind of person she was, especially without responsibilities keeping her in check. She didn't want to risk a repeat of last night, inconveniencing her friend and interrupting Fie. So, no alcohol.

But what was left? She didn't much like dancing, at least not with strangers. Maybe she should just go home. Yeah, and do what? She wasn't really in a sleeping mood. It seemed her options were be lonely and bored inside or be lonely and bored at a festival. Not exactly a hard decision.

So she just started walking, making laps around the edges of the plaza, taking in the smells of food vendors and the sights of carnival games she had long since mastered to the point of mundanity. It was a shame she had just eaten, some of the food looked pretty good.

"Find anything interesting?" asked Xeno. She had, of course, noticed him coming up to her but assumed he would walk past just as he had the last couple of times their paths had crossed.

"Nope," she responded.

"Yeah, me neither. I tried out that ring toss game though." He pulled out an inch-thick stack of prize tickets. "Got the top score."

"Oh, is that so? I'll have to swing by and get it back."

Xeno raised an eyebrow and the corners of his lips.

"You seem pretty confident. Feel like proving it?"

Well, it was something to do. And it would be fun to humble him a little after his stinginess with the fries. "You're on," she said. Sara turned on her heel and headed towards the ring toss, Xeno following behind. "Oh, and you're paying for the demonstration."

She got her rings, telling the man running the stall to put it on Xeno's tab. He watched as she made short work of the game, her every throw landing perfectly.

"What'd I tell you," she said as she got her prize tickets. The stack was just barely bigger than Xeno's.

"Alright, I have to give you that one," Xeno said, smirking as he held his hands up. "Congrats; you beat me when I didn't even know we were competing."

"Excuses, excuses," Sara crowed.

"Wanna bet?"

Sara looked at him with interest. "What did you have in mind?"

"We play every game." Xeno held up his prize tickets. "Winner take all."

"You're on. I am so gonna kick your ass," she said with a chuckle as they walked to the next game.

"Oh I love an over-confident opponent," said Xeno. "Makes it _so_ much more satisfying when I win."

"It's only over-confidence if I'm wrong," Sara teased, smiling at him over her shoulder.

* * *

It was not this cold last year. In retrospect, Fie probably should have expected that. Last year the city was playing the unwilling host to a demon; that probably warmed things up a bit. At least the dancing would keep her warm. But that had its own problems.

The music was so loud. Scratch that, it wasn't just the music; **everything** was loud. She could feel the bass of the drums in her chest and the air was filled with a constant hum as people tried to make themselves heard over the rhythm. It just kept getting louder as time went on and more gathered on the dance floor.

Mentally, she could tune out the noise and ignore the chill. She focused her thoughts on Elliot, how her hand felt in his and how he murmured in her ear during the slow songs. He had gotten better since their last dance at Thors Academy, leading her through steps she had never done before with ease.

"Have you been practicing?" he asked, smiling at her as she returned from a spin. She smiled back. He had noticed.

"Some libraries in the towns I worked in had books about dancing. I started checking them out and practicing when you told me about this," Fie explained. "Impressed?" she asked him through half-lidded eyes.

"Yeah." He pulled her in for a quick kiss, smiling all through it. Fie shivered as they parted. She could keep the cold from her mind, but her body was a different matter.

Someone who went to school with Elliot saw them and came over to say hi. It was short, just a hello, an introduction between them and Fie, and a good-bye. But it was just enough of a lull in activity for Fie to notice the ache in her head. She plugged her ears with her thumbs and rubbed her temples with her fingertips, trying to handle it while Elliot was distracted. By the time his attention returned to her, her hands were back at her sides.

But once she noticed it, she couldn't stop noticing it. Her head throbbed in time with the beat and she could feel herself wince with every new song. She tried to hide it, forcing her reactions down and keeping her pain and discomfort off her face. At first it was easy; she had so much to smile about. Her and Elliot were together, doing something he told her had been a desire of his since he was ten; dancing with someone he loved in the Plaza during New Year's Eve. Just thinking about it made her happy, but that was nothing compared to doing it for real. His look of not just joy, but contentment. The love in his eyes as they twirled across the cobblestone, equalled only by the love she felt in her heart.

It wasn't a matter of faking a smile and soldering on. Her smiles were genuine, they just kept getting interrupted. If it was only pain that would be one thing, but the cold December night air kept nipping at her exposed skin. She couldn't stop every wince _and_ every shiver. It was only a matter of time before Elliot noticed.

His expression turned to one of concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Fie shook her head, trying to play it off. "I'm fine-" Someone nearby shrieked loudly as the chorus kicked in, the unexpected noise making her wince hard. She put up no resistance as Elliot lead her off the dance floor to a quieter part of the Plaza.

Away from the radiating body heat of the other dancers, Fie felt the chill of the night all the deeper.

"Is something wrong?" Elliot asked after a shiver.

Fie tightened her threadbare scarf around her neck, to no effect. "It's nothing," she said, trying to pull him back to the dance.

He didn't budge. "Are you sure?"

Fie opened her mouth, ready to lie, but found the words refused to come out. She couldn't lie to those eyes. "You've been so excited about this," she said with another tug on his hand.

"Fie, please," he said, pleaded really. She had to look away. "Do you want to go home."

Her eyes closed as she slumped, hanging her head. "Yeah," she muttered.

He nodded and planted a kiss on her forehead. His hand left hers and went around her shoulders, Fie instinctively snuggling into the warmth. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I'm yours."

"I love you too."

* * *

Something nudged the back of Xeno's shoulder.

"Here," said Sara. Xeno turned around and saw she was holding out a cardboard cup. Sara took a sip from a similar cup she held in her other hand.

"How generous," he said with a smile and tone that left it entirely up to the listener to decide how genuine or sarcastic they were.

"Pfft," Sara said, rolling her eyes just a little. "This is just repayment for you paying for all the games. Don't act like you wouldn't try to call in that debt."

Xeno tittered. "You got me," he said, still smiling. He accepted the cup, feeling the warmth of its contents even through his glove.

Sara turned her nose up and smiled cockily as they started walking. "I'm not the festival game champion for nothing." It had been close, coming down to the wire. The final score was eleven to ten, Sara taking it with a narrow victory in the water gun race.

She took a big gulp of her drink. "Ahhh, that hits the spot. Tea chases down chocolates so well."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Xeno responded. "Never had those kinds before."

"What a shame; they were so good." Sara looked at him from the corner of her eye and smirked. "You could have tried some. All you had to do was ask."

"I thought about it," Xeno admitted. He shook his head over-dramatically. "But you were enjoying them so much," he said. "Who am I to interrupt such passion."

"What a gentlemen," Sara wryly said. "I guess I should thank you for it. That passion was already too short as is."

"You could have gotten more if you didn't get the stuffed dragon for that kid," Xeno pointed out.

Sara shrugged. "Some things are more important than sweets. Don't tell them I said that."

"Don't worry," Xeno said, gesturing at her with his cup. "I'll keep your secret safe from Mr. Rocher."

"Yeah, long as the money isn't good enough," she teased.

Xeno shrugged and made a non-committal noise.

"Uh-huh, play innocent all you like," Sara said, side-eyeing him before taking another sip. "I'm not worried though. I'm sure Fie has all kinds of dirt on you she could tell me if I needed it."

"Mmmmm, yeah, probably," said Xeno. "Darn, and here I was thinking I would be able to retire early by spreading the deep dark secrets of the Purple Lightning."

Sara tittered. "Here's another unsellable secret for you," she said as she held up her cup. "Tea gave me my first ever scar."

"Oh really? How?" asked Xeno.

Sara sighed nostalgically. "It was the first time I ever made my own tea. I didn't realize how hot the kettle would get. Leaned against it by accident and got a nice little burn."

"Ouch."

"Oh, it sucked," Sara agreed. "After that I didn't touch anything in the kitchen without oven mitts on until I was nine."

Xeno chuckled. "At least your first scar was just an accident. I had warnings for mine and completely ignored them."

"This I've gotta hear."

"My mom came home with a dog one day," Xeno said. "A big ol' mutt she got from the pound to surprise me. He was kind of shy, didn't want to come out of his carrier and play with the excited little kid who was screaming at the top of his lungs."

"Oh no," Sara said, a sort of gleeful dread creeping into her voice. "What did you do?"

"Well, nothing yet. Eventually he got more comfortable and slinked out. I was so happy I gave him a hug."

"Bet he loved that."

"He did not. Barked and tried to wriggle out of my arms, I thought he was just excited like I was. Then he bit me on the shoulder."

"Serves you right," Sara said with a nod.

Xeno nodded right back. "Yeah, I deserved it. He took a nice chunk out too. Wanna see?"

"Sure."

Xeno undid his jacket enough to slide it down his arm and pulled his shirt collar as far sideways as it could stretch, just enough for Sara to see bright white scars studding his shoulder. She let out a low whistle. "Ouch."

"Bled all over the carpet and ruined my favorite shirt," said Xeno.

"What happened after that?"

"Well, my dad put him back in his crate while Mom bandaged me up and sent me to my room. I went to my room, turned around, and went right back. I heard them in the kitchen, talking about returning the dog. So I did the logical thing. I took his crate, brought him to my room, and locked the door."

Sara let out a single, barking laugh. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. I wanted a dog for years; I wasn't letting them just take him away right when I got one. I must have yelled at my parents through that door for an hour before they gave up. Didn't let him out of my sight for a month after that, just in case they tried to pull a fast one on me."

Sara shook her head in disbelief. "How old were you?"

"Eight."

"Ah; so old enough to know better," Sara said with a teasing grin.

"Uh-huh. Just like how I knew to not touch boiling tea kettles," he teased back.

"Hey, I never said I was any better," she said, nudging his side with her elbow.

Xeno playfully rolled his eyes as he reset his clothes to how they were. "Where's your scar, anyways?" he asked.

"Nowhere I'm showing someone in public," Sara replied. "One New Year's arrest for indecent exposure is enough for a lifetime, thank you. It's right here." She tapped near the bottom of her breast. "Not much to look at either way, just a little red splotch. Doesn't even have the decency to be shaped like anything."

"How rude."

Sara scoffed. "Right? One of my friends, Toval, he has one that looks exactly like-" A sudden ringing cut her off. She started reaching for her pocket, only to remember she was carrying a cup in that hand. "Crap. Could you?" She held the cup out to Xeno.

"No problem," he said as he took it. Her hand free, Sara was able to take out her ARCUS and turn off the alarm.

"Sorry about that, I set it to remind myself when to start heading back," she explained.

Xeno nodded. "Good thinking." He checked his watch and let out a hmmm. "I should have just enough time to wake Leonidas and get back to the house. Any chance you know the fastest way to the hotel?" He pulled a map out of his pocket and unfolded it. Sara gave it a look and traced a route out for him, making use of her time spent living in the city to point out short cuts.

"Perfect," said Xeno as he put the map away. "Thanks for the tea by the way. See you at the house?"

"...Nah," Sara said. Xeno raised his eyebrow. "New Year's traffic is hell, even on foot. I can help find routes around it and make sure you get back to the house in time for the fireworks. Wouldn't want to risk Fie missing her chance to watch them with her brothers.

Xeno's head tilted but his face betrayed nothing of his thoughts. "Fair enough. After you," he said.

"You know," Sara said as she walked past him. "If you took those sunglasses off, it'd probably help you enjoy the view. Might as well take in the sights while you're here." As she spoke over her shoulder, her hips found a slight sway.

"Oh don't worry," Xeno said as he followed her. "I've been taking in the sights the entire time."


	8. Fireworks

**December 31st, 1205**

**11:24 pm**

"Are you sure you don't want something a bit heavier?" Elliot asked as Fie put his old navy vest on over his old striped sweater. He gestured to the numerous other garments hanging in the hallway closet. "I'm sure Fiona would have no problem loaning you one of her coats."

Fie shook her head. "These are warm enough," she said. She sat down on the couch and leaned back, closing her eyes and sighing with contentment.

"What is it?" asked Elliot as he joined her.

Fie laid her head on his shoulder. "They smell like you."

A mixture of awkward self-consciousness and proud happiness manifested as a smile on Elliot's face. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while the other arm went around Fie's shoulders. She hummed happily. "I'm yours."

Between seeing her in his clothes and the lateness of the hour, Elliot was only peripherally aware of the words coming out of his mouth. "You're mine."

Well _that_ was an interesting feeling. Fie's eyes shot open, staring directly into his. "Say that again?" she requested, cupping his reddening cheek.

"You're mine?" Elliot said, watching as she climbed onto his lap.

Fie's arms snaked around his neck. "One more?" she asked, resting her forehead against his.

Elliot grinned. His hands found her waist. "You're mine."

"Uh-huh," Fie said as she leaned in for a deep kiss.

It could have been a second or minute or even ten for all they knew. Their focus was on things more important than time or the front door opening.

"Are we interrupting something?" asked Leonidas.

Fie sighed and looked over her shoulder, seeing Xeno covering his eyes and Sara blushing while Leonidas just had a single raised eyebrow. "Not as much as you would have been five minutes from now."

Elliot was embarrassed enough to blush heavily but not so much as to stop his assault on Fie's neck, leaving a noticeable mark as she slid off of the couch. He cleared his throat and looked at the intruders. "Uhm… Yeah." He coughed and tried to change the subject. "How'd you get in? Did I forget to lock the door?"

"No, uh, Fiona gave me a key years ago," Sara said.

"Is it safe to look now?" Xeno asked, no small amount of teasing mirth in his voice. Sara thumped him on the shoulder. "I'll take that as a yes." His hand lowered. He noticed Elliot looking everywhere but their faces. "Look at it this way kid; at least we weren't Olaf."

Elliot groaned and buried his face in his hands. "Small miracles," he said, muffled by his palms.

Sara noticed what Fie was wearing and sighed. "Fie, what did I tell you? I knew you'd get cold."

She got a shrug in response. "My bad. You were right."

Sara sighed harder.

Xeno smirked. "Good to know it's not just my advice you don't listen to," he said.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Fie asked. "I wasn't listening."

Xeno laughed.

"So, why are we all standing in the doorway?" asked Olaf.

"No reason," Sara said.

"Aesthetics," Xeno simultaneously replied.

"Well, I'm glad you all made it back!" Olaf said with a broad smile. "May I step past?"

The twenty-somethings moved out of his way and Olaf entered his home.

"How was the castle, General?" Leonidas asked.

"Cruelly dull, thank you for asking. How was your rest?"

"Restful."

"Wonderful! Elliot, could you help me find the outdoor blankets? I swear Fiona puts them somewhere else every time," he muttered.

"No she doesn't," Elliot said. He slid off the couch and went to a side room with his father.

"They're always right here, Dad." Elliot opened a cabinet and pulled a stack of blankets off of the top shelf. "How many do you think we'll need?"

"Well, how close together do you two intend to lay?" Olaf teased.

"Dad!" Elliot said, the tips of his ears turning red. His father guffawed and patted him on the back.

"Three should be fine, take four just in case," Olaf said, still grinning.

Elliot counted out what they needed and put the rest back, his father watching with a strange look in his eyes. Olaf could hardly believe the young man before him used to need his help reaching even the third shelf. What would Liana think? She'd barely come up to their son's nose.

"So, how was it?" Olaf asked as the cabinet closed. "Your first New Year's dance."

"It was fun," Elliot replied, tucking the blankets underarm. "I can see why you and mom were always so excited about it."

Olaf tittered. "I hope you two get to share many more."

Elliot smiled. "Thanks dad."

Olaf wasn't done. "And that one day your children can stick their tongues out and say 'yuck' at you two when they see you dance."

"Oh Aidios," Elliot groaned, burying his face in his free palm. "I was six."

"And I can put them on my knee and tell them all about how their father is a pie-hoarding hypocrite."

"Dad please."

**11:55 pm**

"Papa, why don't you sit down with us?" Fiona asked. Everyone in their group was resting on fluffy picnic blankets laid out over nicely manicured backyard grass. Everyone but Olaf.

"Josiah puts so much effort into caring for this area; it would be a shame to not admire it," he said, leaning over to inspect a short tree with purple flowers and fuzzy leaves. "Fie, what did you say these were called?"

"Princess flowers," said Fie. She was laying perpendicular to Elliot, her head resting on his midsection as she stared at the sky.

"They're very pretty," said Olaf. He straightened up and went to admire another area of the yard, a small babbling fountain.

"I'm surprised so many stars are visible," said Leonidas. "I expected the night sky to be darkened from the lights of the city."

"Oh hey, good point," said Xeno. He and Leonidas were sitting on the same blanket as Fie's legs. "I didn't notice that. Wonder why that is."

"You know, I never really thought about it," Sara said.

"Rumors say a witch did it as a present for Emperor Dreichels; cast a spell to make sure the stars were always visible in the city," Fiona explained.

"Handy."

Neithardt nodded. The three old friends were spread out across two blankets, looking at the sky with various levels of relaxed posture. Fiona was sitting down right next to him. If you had asked him beforehand, he would have said it was a bad idea, that there would be no way he could resist the temptation to touch her in some small way. He was right about that aspect, but very glad she had done it. Their palms rested on the blanket next to each other, his pinkie surreptitiously hooked over hers. Surely, with everyone looking up at the sky no one would notice what was going on on the ground. He let himself focus completely on the small point of contact.

"Fiona what do you think; should we get one of these?" Olaf asked, startling Neithardt so much he had to turn the movement into standing up to play it off.

"Only if you'll be the one cleaning it," Fiona said, looking at the fountain. She tried to keep her feelings about losing Neithardt's touch out of her voice.

"Hmm. Maybe when I retire," Olaf mused. He turned around and notice Neithardt standing. "Would you like to take a closer look as well?"

"Yes I would," replied Neithardt, rolling with it. He went over to the fountain while Olaf walked elsewhere.

Fiona frowned, noticed by no one but Sara. Sara gently prodded her friend with her knee. "Go," she mouthed. Fiona shook her head, glancing at her father with concern. Sara sighed softly, exasperated but understanding her predicament. She leaned back on her elbows and thought. "Would that fountain even fit in your backyard, Fiona?" she asked, just loudly enough for everyone to hear it.

Fiona brightened. "Good question. I'm not sure, I'll have to look more closely." She mouthed a thank you to Sara as she stood up to go be next to Neithardt and pretend to examine the water fixture.

Elliot checked the time on his ARCUS. "Dad, it's about to start."

Olaf shrugged. "The beginning is always the same. I've seen it so many times I can play it in my head. But I have never seen this before," he said, focusing on the latest thing to capture his attention.

"It's a tree," Elliot said.

"Yes, but I don't know this kind of tree. The bark is so soft." Olaf pressed his palm into the trunk.

Elliot rolled his eyes and turned his focus back to stroking Fie's hair.

There was a loud crackling sound and everyone's gaze turned to the sky, seeing a trail of smoke rise before exploding into a number.

**10!**

Everyone but Olaf, who was still looking at the tree.

**9!**

"Just look at that foliage!" he said. "So bright even in winter."

**8!**

"Why I bet that'll keep my focus for thirty-, forty seconds, even!"

**7!**

Sara's eyes went wide and she turned to her friends, catching their notice and making kissing gestures with her fingers.

**6!**

Neithardt blushed, but Fiona looked thoughtful.

**5!**

Sara turned back around, giving her friends their privacy.

**4!**

Fie moved from her position on Elliot to lay next to him, lacing their fingers together and getting ready for their first New Year's Kiss.

**3!**

Fiona noticed this. Her lips set in a determined line as she took Neithardt's hand.

**2!**

Neithardt gave one final look at Olaf, making sure he was still firmly occupied by the tree.

**1!**

Not leaving any time to second guess himself, Neithardt pulled Fiona close. He kissed his lover with all the passion he had been repressing through the entire evening, and she responded in kind.

**0!**

The fireworks started blasting off in fervor, but Neithardt and Fiona barely noticed. They were nothing compared to the sky shaking explosions in their hearts.

**12:00 am**

**January 1st, 1206**

* * *

A/N: I wanted to have this story done before new years so I could post everything daily, but I wasn't able to do that. There is one more interlude and chapter to go. They were supposed to go up January 1st, but I'm definitely not going to be able to finish both of them by then. I only finished this chapter on December 30th. I will still try to get them out in the first half of January.

Thank you for your patience and Happy New Year!


	9. Interlude 2

2:54 am

January 1st, 1206

Some people would use staying in a hotel, and thus not having to pay the water bill, as an excuse to take a long shower. Neithardt was not one of those people. He had always preferred short showers, even prior to his enlistment. His current situation encouraged him to speed it up even more than usual- while still being thorough, of course. The longer he spent cleaning himself, the less time he got to spend with Fiona. Not that they hadn't considered sharing; it was just that experience told them that doing so had a way of forcing 'getting clean' to the absolute bottom of their activity list, thus defeating the purpose. Every few encounters they would tell each other that they had developed enough self-control to restrain themselves and try it again. They had yet to be correct.

Fiona always showered first, of course. It was one of the few things Neithardt insisted on with her and one of his few insistences she was happy to indulge. He dried himself and knocked on the door. "Are you decent?" he called out, pulling on sleepwear that had come into the bathroom with him. It might seem an odd move, given the circumstances, but they had agreed it was the right course of action. Neither wanted to shower a fourth time that night.

"Yes, I am," came the response, her smile audible. Neithardt opened the door separating bedroom and bathroom. He was greeted by the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, rivaled only by every other time he had been lucky enough to look at her.

Fiona was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking into the hotel room mirror and brushing her hair, pausing to smile at Neithardt as he walked over to join her. "Would you, please?" she asked, holding the brush out to him.

He took it, along with a kiss, and continued her work where she had left off. Fiona sighed with contentment, watching them in the mirror.

"What's wrong?" Neithardt asked, keeping up the smooth rhythm of his strokes.

"Nothing's wrong," said Fiona.

"You don't wistfully stare at your own reflection over nothing." Neithardt leaned in to give a comforting nuzzle to the crook of her neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Seconds passed with no response, the only noise coming from the movement of the brush through hair. Fiona closed her eyes. "Maybe." She reached up and took the brush from Neithardt, tossing it on a nightstand. "Hold me?" she asked as she leaned into him. Neithardt's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.

"...What would you want to do on a date?" Fiona asked.

Neithardt thought for a moment before speaking. "I would take you horseback riding in the Lunaria Nature Park. Afterwards we could go to the Grand Market in Celdic and enjoy ourselves."

Fiona looked at Neithardt through half-lidded eyes. "Did you choose the nature park because you know I love forests?"

A light blush developed on Neithardt's cheeks and he held her tighter. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss classified information."

"Sounds like fun," Fiona said.

Neithardt knew a sad smile when he saw one. "I'm sor-"

"Don't." Fiona's eyes shot open and she stuck a finger in his face. "Don't you dare apologize for this, Gerhard. It's not your fault." Experience told him that going down that path would just lead to a fresh installment of their never-ending argument. No matter how many times she said that, Neithardt still felt like it was. And no matter how many times _he_ said _that_, Fiona insisted it wasn't. It would have pulled a smile out of someone with a bleaker sense of humor; they loved each other too much to agree. So instead, he stroked her and waited.

When she could tell he wasn't going to lead them down that road again, she closed her eyes and continued, snuggling into him as she spoke. "Anyways, that's not even what I'm upset about. No, I'm sorry, I can't say that. I _am_ upset about it. But I didn't have to be such a bitch about it."

Neithardt tilted his head, confused.

"Elliot's been talking about Fie coming for the last month. Just nonstop, telling everyone he met about how excited he was and what he had planned," Fiona explained. "She means so much to him and I've just been horrible to her. And him, about her. I told myself that it was part of my sisterly duties, that I was just trying to protect him, but that was a baldfaced lie. I haven't seen Elliot this happy in his entire life, I should be happy for him and I'm not." Neithardt could feel her shoulders start shaking. "All I feel is jealousy. I'm jealous he can tell people about it, jealous they can go out together in public, jealous that he can kiss her in the kitchen and not care if anyone sees. Some big sister I am, I can't even be happy for my little brother."

Neithardt didn't know what to say.

"I don't know what to do," Fiona said. "I want to be happy for him, and I can't make myself. I tried to be when he helped me make dinner and I couldn't. I want to introduce you to people as my boyfriend, I want to be able to tell you I love you without having to be behind closed doors."

Neithardt cupped her cheek and kissed her gently. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm due for a promotion soon, it's been not-so-subtly hinted to me," he said as his thumb wiped away the tears of frustration collecting in the corners of her eyes. "Just a couple more and they won't be able to use us against us. No more secrets."

Fiona nodded. "Soon."

"Soon." But it had always been soon.

They rose to turn off the lights and get into bed together, far preferable to being on top of it. "I can't believe I ever thought spooning with you was uncomfortable," Fiona said, trying to lighten the mood before they drifted off.

Neithardt smiled and kissed her shoulder. "The benefits were worth learning to deal with the drawbacks," he said. It had taken a few tries to find a positioning that didn't make his arm fall asleep.

"Oh those amazing benefits," Fiona said with a little wiggle against him.

Neithardt chuckled. "Indeed."

Sleep took her quickly. He tried to join her, but her words kept him awake. Fiona deserved so much better than their situation. Neithardt learned a long time ago that playing the 'If' game was at best demoralizing and worst counter-productive, but he couldn't stop himself. If he was under a different general. If he was in a different line of work. If he resigned his commission. While working at Thors, he brought the idea up to Fiona of him making a career change and becoming a full time teacher. She was having none of it. "_Tell me you wouldn't regret it. Making yourself miserable is not a way to make us happy,_" she had said. How had he ever gotten lucky enough to wind up with such an amazing woman in his arms and in his heart, let alone finding a place in hers.

It was not fair, not at all. Neithardt knew for a fact that other people had far darker secrets than his, far crueler and horrible secrets than simply two adults loving each other, and they were able to do as they pleased with almost no consequence.

There had to be something he could do for her, for them. But how?

…

Huh. Maybe…


	10. Departures

January 1st, 1206

7:45 am

The difference between paranoia and foresight is mostly luck. If Fiona had returned to a sleeping household, her actions on the way home would have been paranoid. Instead, they showed great foresight.

"G'morning," Fie said as Fiona entered the house.

"Good morning, Fie." Fiona gave her a polite smile and lifted the bag she was holding. "I was just out at the farmer's market," she said, launching into her well-rehearsed excuse. "We emptied out the fridge with the dinner last night, I wanted to make sure we had enough to tide us over until I could go grocery shopping."

"Uh-huh," Fie replied, giving no indication she believed her nor cared that she was lying.

"What's got you up so early?" Fiona asked.

The corners of Fie's lips perked ever so slightly upwards. "Elliot's taking me to Etoile for breakfast."

"I see." Fiona tried to hide the pang of jealousy behind a wider smile. "How romantic. It's so important to cherish the moments you have together."

"Mm-hmm."

"Well, I'll just put these things away and get back to bed."

"Want some help?" Fie offered in a tone that, while polite, clearly expected and wanted the answer to be no.

"No, thank you." Fiona left the living room and went into the kitchen. The contents of her bag were haphazardly shelved, they could be sorted out later when she was less tired and angry. She and Neithardt had decided to say their goodbyes in the hotel room, where they could be said as a couple and not while pretending to be something else. Fie and Elliot wouldn't have that problem. Their breakfast together would be more than just a couple of danishes from the front desk. No, they would get to eat together in a restaurant; sharing smiles and touches and focusing all their attention on each other and not having to worry about a goddamn-

**Slam!**

Fiona flinched. She hadn't meant to close the cabinet that hard.

"Are you okay?" Fie called out.

"I'm fine," Fiona replied. She took a deep breath and made herself calm down. _She had to be happy for them._ She _had _to be happy for them. She had to be happy for them. Exhale. They were good kids, growing up into good adults. They deserved it, they deserved each other. And what, she and Gerhard didn't? They'd been together more than twice as lo- No! No. Happy. Happy for them.

One more deep breath, and she exited the kitchen. She had planned to go straight to her room, but couldn't keep herself from glancing into the living room. What she saw stopped her in her tracks; Fie, leaning against the wall, fiddling with her ARCUS, wearing Elliot's sweater and vest.

It just looked… right. Natural. Fiona had to ask herself; what the hell was she doing?

Fie noticed Fiona looking at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to your scarf?" Fiona asked after a brief awkward silence.

"I left it in Elliot's room," said Fie. "It's too damaged to keep me warm anymore." Her attention returned to her ARCUS.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

Fie shrugged.

Fiona could have taken the exit and just kept walking, but she hesitated. "You know, I have a spare scarf I don't use very much. Would you like it?"

Fie looked up and blinked at Fiona. Her gaze put her in mind of the stray cats she would see from time to time, how they would stare when she tried to offer them treats. "Let me- let me just go and get it, so you can see it and decide," Fiona said.

"Okay," Fie cautiously replied.

The spare scarf was retrieved and presented to Fie. It was made of a pretty, warm blue cloth and decorated with parallel white lines. "It looks good on you," Fiona said as Fie wrapped it around her neck.

"Thanks," said Fie. She slid the fabric through her fingers, almost like she was checking it for bugs or weapons. After her inspection, she said, "I like it."

"It's yours," Fiona said, a bit too loud and a bit too fast. "I mean, if you want it."

Fie gave a single nod. "I do." Her eyes slowly, carefully, slid off of Fiona and back to her Arcus. "Thanks."

Fiona sighed. A present was not an apology. "I..."

"...Hmm?"

"I was rude to you."

Fie looked up, meeting Fiona's eyes.

"You didn't deserve it. I'm sorry, Fie." Fiona shifted awkwardly, feeling like she was under a microscope while waiting for Fie's response.

"It's okay," Fie finally said.

It wasn't forgiveness. Then again, Fiona didn't really deserve that. "Thank you."

"Sorry it took me so long," Elliot said as he galloped down the stairs. "I couldn't- Oh! Morning, Fiona."

"Good morning," she replied, but Elliot wasn't really listening. He went over to Fie and took her hand. Fiona hadn't realized how tense Fie was during their conversation, or even that she was at all, until she watched it all melt away at Elliot's touch.

"Ready to go?" Fie asked, smiling and putting away her ARCUS. Elliot nodded and Fiona left the room as he spoke. She would probably always be jealous of them, at least until Neithardt reached a rank where he no longer served directly under her father. But that wasn't their fault, nor was it hers. They didn't deserve to suffer for her frustrations anymore than she deserved the pain of trying to force herself to be happy for them.

Besides, they didn't need her happiness. They had their own.

12:56 pm

It's never exactly _fun_ to be at a train station, they have this strange quality of too much room with not enough seats and the vending machines are all overpriced. But it's always worse when it's the end of a vacation. Even for someone like Sara, who genuinely enjoyed her job.

She sat in an uncomfortable chair with her luggage next to her, reading a cheesy book that she could already tell she wasn't going to finish, mentally counting down the minutes until the supposed boarding time. If only Fie was here, then she would have someone to talk too. On the other hand, Sara didn't want to be there either. She just had nothing else to do and figured she might as well save a chair for Fie.

Neithardt entered the station and noticed her tell-tale magenta hair. "Good afternoon, Valestein," he said, walking up to her.

"Hey, Neithardt," Sara replied, folding down a page in her book and placing it in her lap. "Surprised to see you here. I figured you and Olaf'd be out on the first train to Garrelia Fortress."

Neithardt scowled. Well, he would prefer it to be called a scowl; it was closer to a pout. "General Craig left at 0525 this morning."

"Ah," Sara said with a teasing smile. "Is that what's got you so grumpy? You didn't get to come?"

"The general strongly recommended that I take the opportunity to rest as much as I could before returning to the base."

Sara nodded. "Told you to stay in bed or he'd throw you there himself, huh?"

"...Perhaps."

"Mmmm. Well, no need to keep standing around like that." Sara pushed her coat off the neighboring chair and onto her luggage. "C'mon, take a seat."

"Thank you," Neithardt said, accepting her offer.

"So, when does your train pull out?"

"2:15."

Sara turned to look at him with a surprised face. "Really? You're here early even for you."

Neithardt shrugged.

"You don't do anything for no reason. What's going on?"

"My reasons are my own."

Sara narrowed her eyes at him. "Hmmm." Neithardt didn't budge. Sara returned to her book while Neithardt went through some forms he had brought with him.

Her attention was eventually broken by the familiar sound of Fie's footsteps, followed closely by Elliot's.

Following the exchange of pleasantries, Sara asked, "It's still thirty minutes before we leave, what're you doing here so early?"

"I wanted to say goodbye to Xeno and Leonidas," said Fie. "Their train leaves soon."

Sara craned her neck, scanning the room for the Jaegers. Fie shook her head. "They're not here yet. Xeno doesn't like being in a train station until five minutes before it leaves."

Sara rose from her seat. "Well, why don't you two sit down and me and Neithardt can look out for them. We could use the excuse to stretch our legs." Neithardt side-eyed her but didn't argue, standing up and following her as she began walking around the station.

"So, why are you waiting for Fie's brothers?" Sara asked.

"..." Neithardt replied.

"Don't play coy," Sara said, lips stretched into a catlike grin. "I saw that twitch when she mentioned them. What's going on?"

"My reasons are my own."

"Ahhh." Sara nodded slowly. "_Her_, huh?"

Neithardt's lips pursed and he angled his face upwards. "Perhaps."

Sara chuckled. "You know 'perhaps' from you always means 'yes', right? I've never once heard you say it and mean 'no'."

"Perhaps."

"Well, it must be important if it made you miss them coming in," Sara said, pointing at where they had left the teens. Fie was in the process of letting go of Leonidas and beginning her hug of Xeno.

"You missed them too."

"Did I?" Sara smiled sneakily and got a glare in response. "Okay, yes I did," she relented. Neithardt rolled his eyes as they walked up to the Jaegers, catching the tail-end of the conversation.

"Yeah, all that's left is for you to meet the boss," Xeno said to Elliot. "And that'll probably happen pretty soon. There's something for you to look forward to."

Elliot gulped. "Meet him how?" Fie laced her fingers with his as a supportive gesture.

"In the world of the living," Xeno answered. "Most likely."

Leonidas spoke up. "You have nothing to worry about. The boss is a reasonable man; I am certain he will have no issue with you."

"That's a relief," Elliot said. Fie tugged on his hand.

"Let's go back into the sunshine," she said. Elliot nodded and they turned to leave, nearly bumping into Sara and Neithardt.

"Wow," Sara said, an amused look on her face. "Literally _just_ here to say good-bye, huh?"

Fie shrugged. "I'll be back."

Sara chuckled and stepped to the side, waving them through. "Go, go."

Neithardt spoke up. "Leonidas, may I borrow you for a minute?" He could have posed his question to either Jaeger, and asking both would likely have the greatest chance of success, but something about the blond man rubbed him the wrong way. When his profession and leader were insulted, Leonidas stood up for them and their honor. Xeno had given no indication he cared about either.

Leonidas' eyebrow quirked with intrigue. "Very well," he said, standing up with his bag. They went to a relatively quiet corner of the station.

"I am truly sorry for what I said yesterday at dinner," said Neithardt, his expression firm and giving away nothing. "And I would like to thank you for escorting me back to my room when I was impaired."

"Hmm." Leonidas crossed his arms and leant against the wall. "I accept both, but something tells me those aren't what you wished to discuss," he said. "And I do not have much time."

Neithardt pursed his lips and looked down, trying to find the words to jump ahead in his planned script. "I have heard hearsay of there being places which those with unsavory business practices may go to in order to relax, where anyone can speak of anything and nothing gets out. Do you know of any? I will pay for the information."

"Why?" Leonidas asked.

Neithardt had expected this; of course such information couldn't be given out for no reason, let alone to a man of his position. Even though he had made the decision hours ago, he still hesitated. If it was just him at risk, he wouldn't waver even for a second. Then again, if it was just him at risk he wouldn't be doing this in the first place. If it was for anyone else, he wouldn't even think of putting his trust in a Jaeger. "Can you give me your word, as a Jaeg- as a soldier, that you will keep my reasons secret?"

There was no hesitancy from Leonidas. "I can give you my word as a man."

Neithardt released his held breath. "Thank you," he said, continuing quickly to avoid wasting time. "It's so me and my partner can go somewhere where we can be together without word of our relationship getting out. Can you help me?"

The slight pleading notes in his voice were not lost on Leonidas. He pulled a notepad out of his pocket, writing as he spoke. "There's a hamlet in the Olbia Lowlands named Little Monkton. You might have heard of it as 'Killers' Village'. Nothing illegal happens there, but you'll hear about a lot. No one tells anyone about what they hear or see there without losing their life." He tore the page out of his notepad and folded it carefully, giving it to Neithardt before ripping out the three pages below it and shredding them to pieces. The pieces were put into another pocket. "Call this phone number and say this phrase and you'll be able to book a hotel room. Memorize them and burn the paper as soon as you can."

Neithardt held the folded paper out in front of him, eyeing it like a lit stick of dynamite. Every fiber of his heart was telling him to open it up, to memorize the contents, to start the process of giving his love what she so badly wanted. But he didn't.

"What do you want in return?" he asked. "I will not do anything that would compromise the safety of the people of Erebonia." Prudence? Maybe. Skepticism? Possibly. But honestly, it was that he knew how disappointed Fiona would be if he was stupid and did something rash.

Leonidas shook his head. Neithardt's heart sank as he prepared for the paper to be taken back from him. "I told you, I'm not doing this as a Jaeger," Leonidas said. "No payment needed."

Neithardt's hand moved quickly, sliding the paper into his inner breast pocket even as his mind screeched to a halt. A thank you would have been appropriate. "Why?" he asked.

"Because life's not fair," Leonidas replied. A whistle rang through the station. "That's my train. Good luck, Major."

He walked away, leaving Neithardt with minor new questions but a very important answer.

* * *

Sara sat down and reopened her book. She tried to read it, but found herself losing interest and focus halfway through a paragraph, even after re-reading it. Well, maybe what worked last night to fix her boredom could work again.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Sara mused in Xeno's general direction.

Xeno shrugged. "Really late parent-teacher conference?"

"You're joking but I wouldn't put it past him."

"I'm not sure I was joking," Xeno said as he sat down next to her. "He just gives off that vibe."

Sara groaned, but it was a fond groan for a friend. "Tell me about it," she said, closing her book. "He wouldn't have much to say anyways; Fie's a good student."

Xeno nodded. "The boss made the right choice."

"What, telling you all to abandon her?" Sara flatly said, side-eyeing him.

"Telling us to leave her with you. You've done a good job."

"Oh. Well… Thanks."

Silence fell between them. Sara tried to read her book while Xeno tilted his head back and closed his eyes. The sound of pencil scratchings made him peek one open.

"Here," said Sara, putting a piece of paper in his lap before putting her notepad away. "It's my ARCUS ID. Whenever you get one, contact me and I'll be able to let you know right away if anything ever happens to Fie."

"Hm." Xeno lifted the paper by its torn corner, looking at it in the light of an overhead fixture. "I'll have to get my hands on one soon." He looked at Sara out the corner of his eye. "You know I'm definitely gonna use this to schedule a rematch."

Sara smirked in a way her lips said was cocky but her eyes said was playful. "I'm always up for a challenge. Go ahead."

"Maybe a spar this time," Xeno said, folding up the paper and putting it away. "Your friends interrupted us in the castle before I could see what you're like going all out."

"You think you could handle me?" Sara asked, leaning on her elbow on the armrest dividing them.

"You think I couldn't?" Xeno replied, smirk-smiling as he met her gaze.

"Hmm…" she replied as she leaned back in her seat. "Sounds like we're gonna have to find out."

"Sounds like it," Xeno agreed. The whistle blew. "That's my cue," he said, standing up and pulling his bag over his shoulder. "I look forward to proving you wrong."

"I look forward to you trying," Sara responded. Xeno left for the platform and she reopened her book. She only glanced up to collect her thoughts, it was just a coincidence he was in her view. Twice.

1:26 pm

Fie and Elliot were just about to finish another lap around the train station when her ARCUS buzzed.

"It's Sara," said Fie. Her voice was nonchalant as ever, but it was impossible for Elliot to miss how her grip tightened on his hand. "She's on the train."

Elliot's grip tightened as well. "Must be nearly time for you to leave."

"Yep. Four minutes."

Elliot nodded slowly. They had stopped walking. "It's been nice. Having you here and being with you and- and stuff. I had fun."

"Me too," said Fie. "And I should be a senior bracer pretty soon. That'll give me a lot more control over what jobs I take and where I go and how I get there."

"Yeah. And I'm probably going to go on tour in a couple months, so, you know; maybe we can make our paths cross then."

"Yeah."

"Plus, we're still going to be texting every night."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Yeah. We're really bad at this."

Elliot couldn't stop himself from laughing. Fie smiled a small smile that grew with every one of his laughs. When he finally managed to straighten up, her smile matched his. "I'm gonna miss you," he said, finally acknowledging the elephant in the room.

"Same," said Fie. Melancholy spread through her features. "I wish I didn't have to go."

"I wish I could come with you."

Fie nodded. She let go of Elliot's hand in order to take his wrist and bring his palm to her chest. "Yours," she said.

"I know," he said. He pulled his hand back in order to take her wrist and do the same, splaying Fie's fingers out against his chest. "Yours."

"I know," she said. Their lips joined in a kiss long enough to turn sorrow at their current parting into anticipation for their next meeting.

"Can I walk you to the platform?" Elliot asked.

"Please," Fie replied. They resumed walking.

The rest was feeling. Elliot's next coherent thought came only as the train disappeared from view.

"_I'm never getting that sweater back; am I?"_

* * *

Cover art by Masky, maskyarts on twitter. If you liked this story, plz review and feel free to give me a follow on twitter, I'm leonidas701. Sorry the conclusion took so long to post, I have been busy doing grad school interviews and working more shifts at work.


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